


The Ginza Line

by Hanakimicali



Category: Arashi (Band)
Genre: Arashi boys, Artist Ohno, F/M, Love Triangle, Lucy is a teacher, ohno is a pop star
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-31
Updated: 2020-04-02
Packaged: 2021-02-28 22:35:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 37,082
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23404615
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hanakimicali/pseuds/Hanakimicali
Summary: He tried to concentrate on anything else beside the stop-and-go of the train. He still had a half an hour at best until he got to his stop. Before he could get home and crawl into his warm bed that sounded like heaven right about now. The train car stopped for a moment at the Kyobashi stop. He expected another straggling teenager coming home after a late night or the typical homeless person; when he looked up however, he saw a girl. Not a homeless girl or a teenage girl either; in fact, she only looked a few years younger than himself.What made her stand out the most was that she wasn’t Japanese. American was his guess, but he couldn’t be sure. He watched her pull out a black Ipod and stick the headphones in her ears and settle down into her plastic chair. Her straight, dark brown hair reached down below her shoulders. It fell over her face as she pulled out a thin novel and began to read.
Relationships: Ohno Satoshi/Original Character(s)
Kudos: 5





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I got deep enough into my Livejournal that I found my Ohno/OC (Mary Sue) fic. I went so hard with this fic that like 3 people read. I was excited to re-read it though! If you decide to read it, enjoy it and know that this was the true ramblings of my 22 year old mind. lol.

**The Ginza Line**

  
  


The Ginza Line. Friday, May 28, 2008. 10:17 P.M.

  
  
It was one of those nights. The kind where Ohno wished that he wasn’t on the train. It was the perfect temperature outside for short sleeves or a light sweater. Not a cloud in the sky and the moon was illuminating the world outside in a soft blue glow. Unfortunately all he saw was the fast moving concrete tunnel that surrounded his train and the fluorescent lights that made everything and everyone look pale and sickly.  
  
He tried to concentrate on anything else beside the stop-and-go of the train. He still had a half an hour at best until he got to his stop. Before he could get home and crawl into his warm bed that sounded like heaven right about now. The train car stopped for a moment at the Kyobashi stop. He expected another straggling teenager coming home after a late night or the typical homeless person; when he looked up however, he saw a girl. Not a homeless girl or a teenage girl either; in fact, she only looked a few years younger than himself.  
  
What made her stand out the most was that she wasn’t Japanese. American was his guess, but he couldn’t be sure. He watched her pull out a black Ipod and stick the headphones in her ears and settle down into her plastic chair. Her straight, dark brown hair reached down below her shoulders. It fell over her face as she pulled out a thin novel and began to read.  
  
Ohno couldn’t help but watch her; as there was nothing else to look at in the nearly empty train car. It was a wonder to him that she could completely lose herself in a novel in a place like this. The rocking movement of the train often made him nauseous if he was trying to concentrate on anything. Ohno tried his best to see the book that she was reading but it was novel in English so he didn’t bother. After a few moments of thought he came to the conclusion that she was a tourist. Here for a few days and then on to the next place. Ohno looked away and decided to mind his own business but slowly found his eyes guiding back to where she sat. He watched her bright green eyes scan the pages of her book. Finish the page. Turn. Repeat process.  
  
After a few moments, she felt someone watching her. She glanced up and met his surprised brown eyes. He tried to look away as quickly as he could and act like he wasn’t just staring at her. However, she still caught him. Ohno felt embarrassed but still he found himself looking back up at her a moment later; not sure if she would be looking at him or her book. Thankfully, she was looking back down at her book. Her eyes following each line; word for word. Then something caught his eye. The corners of her lips were turned up into a smile. This small gesture sent an unexpected flutter of nervousness through his chest.  
  
He smiled to himself as he began to fidget with the hem of his t-shirt. He couldn’t understand why he would get such a rush of anxiety from a stranger but it made the situation hard to ignore. He looked back up at her again; this time she quickly caught his eyes on her. She rolled her eyes and pulled out her tiny black headphones from her ears.  
  
“Is there something you wanted?” She spoke to him in perfectly articulated and pronounced Japanese. This was something he had not anticipated. Someone who looked completely foreign to him but spoke his language perfectly. In this very moment he probably looked like a scared little boy but the new development to the situation had caught him so off guard that he couldn’t help but stare and stutter. She just watched him and waited for him to answer.  
  
“Go…Gomen nasai*. I didn’t mean to offend you.” He said with an apologetic bow of his head. When he looked back up at her she no longer looked agitated but apologetic as well. She bookmarked her novel with her index finger.  
  
“I didn’t mean to snap at you. I’m a bit tired, I guess.” She said with a heartrending smile. Ohno tried his best to smile back at her even though the nervous feeling in the pit of his stomach was getting stronger. The girl stood, wobbling a bit from the movement of the train. She inserted a real bookmark as she made her way from her seat to his side of the train. She sat down next to him; not too close but not far away either. Ohno looked over at her and smiled courteously at her. She had a curious look about her as she looked at his face.  
  
“Do I know you from somewhere?” She asked; if he thought he had been nervous before it was nothing compared the deathly-scared feeling he was having now. It was always horrifically embarrassing when people recognized who he was outside of work; especially if they were foreigners.  
  
“That would be unlikely.” He spoke in the most convincing voice he could muster. She smiled and changed the subject.  
  
“So…going home or going out?” She asked, pushing her petite, delicate hands into the pockets of her trench coat. For the first time since she sat down next to him, he looked into her eyes. Her green eyes were a perfect contrast to his brown ones. She took out a pen from her pocket and began to write something down on the sleeve of her paperback novel.  
  
“Going home.” He said with a genuine smile. For some sudden reason, his nervousness was starting to fade. She made no response for a moment, just continued to write something in a flawlessly fluid mix of Hiragana and Katakana characters.  
  
“Me too. I just got out of three hours worth of lecture.” She said to him with a quick smile before continuing her writing.  
  
“Student?” Ohno asked and he was met with a sarcastic laugh.  
  
“Teacher.” She said simply. Ohno was surprised; he hadn’t expected her to be a teacher, let alone a teacher in a foreign country. She giggled at bit at his surprise as she finished was she was writing down.  
  
“I’m sorry, it’s just you seem so young to be a teacher.” He stated bashfully. She looked up and gazed into his eyes once more.  
  
“I’m older than I look.” She said simply. There was a moment of pregnant silence but it didn’t feel necessarily uncomfortable. Ohno sunk into the silence contentedly until she spoke again.  
  
“You have an interesting look about you.” She said quietly, he was surprised by her sudden assertion of his personality. It interested him; no one he had ever met was this candid with him. “You seem energized but your tiredness reflects in your eyes.” She says this but makes no motion to ask him what he does for a living in return. She doesn’t care to know why his eyes show such tiredness. He decides he doesn’t want to get to close to those kinds of question so he changes the subject.  
  
“What were you just listening to?” He asked, gesturing at her Ipod that rested against her book on her lap. She smiled close lipped.  
  
“Mr. Children’s last album.” She said simply, meeting his eyes. She seemed to be looking into them as deeply as she could. However, it didn’t make him uncomfortable like such an action would with any other stranger. He found it a pleasant change; most people these days don’t make such unrestrained eye contact.  
  
“That’s a good album.” Ohno muttered lamely; he was terrible with small talk. Suddenly the train came to a stop. Suehirocho exit.  
  
“This is my stop.” She said with a hint of sadness.  
  
“Oh. Well, it was nice speaking with you.” Ohno said; reflecting his disappointment into his voice. He watched her as she picked up her things and stood from her spot.  
  
“Maybe we’ll run into each other again sometime. Oyasumi*.” She said with a smile before she hoped off the train. Ohno watched her go by as the train pulled away, he watched her for as long as he could before he turned around the corner.  
  
He sighed loudly as he sunk back into his chair, reflecting on what just had passed. _Maybe we’ll run into each other again sometime_ , that was unlikely. There were millions of people in Tokyo; there was an extremely low chance that he would ever see her again. He looked at the chair beside him and surprisingly saw her novel sitting in the spot that she had just occupied. Alone on the plastic seat. His heart sped up for a moment as he picked it up.  
  
It was slender; only about 200 pages. He flipped open the front cover and his eyes fell on her elegant script. He read the simple sentence that she had written inside.  
  
_They look brown but when you look at them under the fluorescent lighting – they’re amber._  
  
Confusion hit him for a moment until he recalled her gazing so deeply into his eyes before. Had she left this behind on accident or on purpose; Ohno had to wonder.  
  


_to be continued..._


	2. Chapter 2

Ueno, Taito Ward, Tokyo. Saturday, June 7, 2008. 12:48 P.M.

  
  
He rode the train at the same time every night with the hope that he would run into her. Her novel resting in its own separate place in his messenger bag that he carried with him everywhere. It had been eight days since he had first met her and for eight days his dreams had been filled with subtle mentions of her presence. A flash of long dark hair or sparkling green eyes.  
  
He could hear the echoes of her voice in his dreams, resonating both in a foreign language and his own. After a few days had passed and he hadn’t seen her, Ohno began to question if he would ever see her again. He hadn’t told anyone about her, not even his Mother to which he told everything to. He knew that by now the guys were probably beginning to wonder where he was going whenever he left rehearsal at the same time every night. Why instead of going out for a drink with them, he seemed to always want to go straight home. He was running out of excuses. He didn’t even know her name.  
  
Today however, was his first day off in three weeks. He decided that he would have some well-needed time to himself. He left his house feeling refreshed and ready to spend his day that way that he wanted to. It didn’t take him long to decide to walk towards downtown Ueno and go to his favorite art supply shop so he could finish up some of his new projects. The art store was located in a tight crowded street filled with bookshops packed to the brim with new and used volumes and markets filled with fresh meats and fish fresh off the pole. It was an atmosphere that he could get enough of. The aroma of gyoza being fried right in front of you always brought a nostalgic feeling to Ohno.  
  
Ohno enjoyed being in this particular marketplace because no one here treated him like a celebrity, to them he was just Satoshi-kun. They treated him like a normal man; it was the perfect place to spend his day.  
  
“Satoshi-kun!” Ohno looked away from the baskets of vegetables to see a man, only a few years older than himself waving at him from a few doors ahead. “I haven’t seen you in ages!” He said as Ohno walked towards him.  
  
“Koji-san.” Ohno said with a smile as they shook hands. “Gomen, I have been really busy lately.” Ohno said with an apologetic look on his face but the older man was shaking his head at him; waving off his excuses.  
  
“You don’t have to apologize to me, you know that.” Koji said with a big toothy grin. “You want some miso ramen today?” He asked with an expectant look on his face.  
  
“Maybe in a bit. I’m just going to the art supply shop and grab a few things first. I’ll be back in a while.” Ohno said before venturing further down the crowded street. He arrived at the art shop and without any hesitation or thought; he walked straight to the clay pottery supplies.  
  
“Ah, Satoshi-san! I haven’t seen you in a while!” It was the store owner’s daughter, Haruko. Ohno and Haruko always had grand conversations about what art school was like for her or about the latest exhibits that were debuting in Tokyo. Just like the rest of the people in town, she treated him no different than she would any other customer. Ohno was convinced it was the treatment of the people around him that kept him from being anything but humble.  
  
“I went and saw your exhibit last week.” She said out loud as Ohno looked through all the different colored clays samples. He looked up at her with wide, childlike eyes.  
  
“You did? What did you think, and be completely honest!” Ohno said, waiting on pins and needles as Haruko thought of an answer.  
  
“Honestly? In a nutshell?” She looked at his young puppy face as she teased him with her drawn out answer. She smiled brightly at him. “I thought it was brilliant.” She said as a blush slowly crept onto her cheeks. Ohno smiled wide at her, his eyes full of affection.  
  
“You did? Really? It still makes me nervous to wonder what people think about it.” Ohno said as he picked out the last of his supplies and brought them up to the counter where Haruko was sitting. Haruko smiled sweetly at him and she began to ring them up.  
  
“I was hoping I would run into you there but you didn’t show up.” Haruko said, keeping her eyes cast down at the register.  
  
“Ah gomen, I had a really important rehearsal that night.” Ohno apologized as he fished his money out of his wallet. He handed it to her. Enter total. Count the change. She bagged up his purchases with an automatic smile. With a slight bow and a wave of his hand Ohno left the shop. Haruko watched him go until she couldn’t see him anymore.  
  
Ohno made his way back towards the Ramen house when he decided to stop at the bookshop to see what was in their window display. It was small and family owned; a lot of what they sold was all second hand but they had a pretty good selection of new releases and magazines. He was browsing the window when movement from inside made him glance into the store. The first that he noticed was the brown leather messenger bag that hung low on a woman browsing the magazine section. It looked oddly familiar to him. Ohno looked at the person wearing said messenger bag.  
  
He couldn’t get a clear enough view of her with her back facing towards him so he let curiosity get the best of him and went inside to get a better look. He went inside and circled the other side of the magazine isle; it was then that his sneaking suspicions were confirmed.  
  
It was her.  
  
The woman from the train.  
  
Butterflies suddenly attacked his stomach with a force that could have knocked him flat on his back. Her long brown hair was piled chaotically on top of her head; a slight blush adorned her cheeks making her seem like she was glowing. She was flipping through a modern art book with a warm smile on her face.  
  
“Sumimasen…*” Ohno spoke before his brain caught up with his mouth. She looked up with a look of confusion on her face. Their eyes met for a moment before she looked at his lips, nose, hair and everything surrounding him; then back to his amber eyes. She stared back at him for a few more moments before a broad smile graced her lips.  
  
“You’re from the train, right?” There it was again. That sweet, low sound of her voice speaking to him in his native tongue. The voice he had been yearning to hear for over a week. Ohno was stunned. He hadn’t expected her to remember him so easily; he thought he was going to have to explain to her who he was and give a big speech about how they met. However, there was no need.  
  
“Hai*. We met last week.” Ohno said nervously as he walked around the magazine isle until he was standing in front of her. She was smiling at him; causing shivers to form on her arms.  
  
“I’m Ohno Satoshi.” He reached out his hand and she took it immediately.  
  
“Lucy.” He smiled at the sound of her name. After a moment there was an odd silence that surrounded them; she let her hand drop back down to her side. Ohno was at a loss as to how to restart the conversation.  
  
“So…” she began. “…do you live nearby?” She asked as she set the magazine back at its spot and started looking for another one that peaked her interest.  
  
“Yes. I only live a few blocks away. I spend a lot of time here.” He answered, she just smiled in response.  
  
“You paint?” She asked.  
  
“Huh?”  
  
She pointed at his bag of art supplies that he had completely forgotten that he was holding.  
  
“Oh, hai! Mostly sculptures though.” Ohno said with a satisfied smile, pleased that she had noticed. Ohno looked over at the magazines that she was browsing and was shocked to see that Freestyle, his art photo book was sitting on the shelf beside her. Without thinking Ohno jumped in front of the isle, blocking her view of the books and magazines. Lucy looked at him with wide eyes, not quite sure what to say.  
  
“Do you like ramen?” He asked suddenly. Lucy laughed at him; unsure if he was being serious or not.  
  
“Seriously?” she asked.  
  
“My favorite ramen place is just a block up. I was just going there now…you could join me. If you want.” He said with an air of hopefulness. Lucy analyzed his expression for a moment and she could clearly tell that he wasn’t joking. His hopeful look was genuine.  
  
“Okay.” She said as she smiled apprehensively at him. This only made Ohno smile wider.  
  
_to be continued..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes:  
> *Sumimasen = Excuse Me  
> *Hai = Yes  
> *Keep in mind that all characters are speaking in Japanese unless noted otherwise.


	3. Chapter 3

**Ueno, Taito Ward, Tokyo. Saturday, June 7th, 2008. 1:39 P.M.**

  
  
“So what…are you a freelance artist or something?” Lucy asked as she took a huge bite of her ramen. Ohno was transfixed by her appetite, it nearly rivaled his own. He couldn’t help but smile at bit at her actions. Then, he realized what she had just asked him. The last thing he wanted in this conversation was for her to ask him what his profession was. It was so hard to avoid; he thought he was being so careful. He took a big bite of his ramen; buying him time to think of an appropriate answer.  
  
“Ah…you could say that I guess.” She smiled at him and he knew that she believed him in that moment. Ohno knew he had better change the subject soon. He set his chopsticks down in front of him and looked at her. They shared a momentary glance that caused a nervous shudder to pass through Ohno, he wondered if she felt it as well.  
  
“Is there good money in stuff like that?” She asked, hoping that she hadn’t crossed a line by asking him about something as private as his income. Ohno froze; he looked over himself for a moment. He was well dressed, well manicured and he didn’t look at all like he was a struggling artist. He would have to play it off.  
  
“I do okay…” He mumbled before taking another bite of his ramen. It was definitely time to change the subject. Put the focus on her instead of himself.  
  
“I was wondering…why did you decide to teach? In a foreign country for that matter?” Ohno asked, he was genuinely interested. It wasn’t uncommon to see a foreigner teaching English there – but for some reason he really wanted to know why she had chosen to do it. She blushed a bit at his interest but didn’t wait long to answer his question.  
  
“Well, in college I majored in English Literature with a minor in Japanese language. I had always wanted to be a teacher and I had always wanted to come here. Once I graduated I realized I didn’t have anything holding me back. I’ve been here ever since.” She said, as she took a sip of her Mugicha. Ohno was impressed; he had hardly been out of the country; especially to somewhere as far away as America. When he looked at Lucy, he saw success and drive and it moved him in a soft, comforting way.  
  
“How long is ‘ever since’?” Ohno asked, it was just a polite way to find out her age.  
  
“Let me see…that was when I was twenty-two so…nearly five years ago.” She said with a smile. Ohno almost spit out his own tea all over their lunch.  
  
“You’re twenty-seven?” He asked with surprise. He could have sworn she was younger than him, turned out they were the same age.  
  
“Hai.” Was all she said with a slight nod of her head.  
  
“I'm twenty-seven too. But you don’t look like you’re twenty-seven.” Ohno said, whipping a bit of tea off his face that he had spit out all over himself. Lucy couldn’t help but laugh at him; she couldn’t help but admit to herself that he made her blush; that he made her heart skip several beats at a time.  
  
“Didn’t I already tell you that I’m older than I look?” Lucy said with a smile. Ohno returned it; not knowing what to think of the feelings that were flowing through his veins. After a moment of silence, Ohno got up to use the bathroom, leaving Lucy alone at the table. She waited impatiently as he took a few minutes in the restroom. Once he returned, she immediately smiled up at him.  
  
“There you are, for a second I thought you might have fallen in.” She said with a laugh. It made Ohno laugh as well as he tried to apologize for being gone too long.  
  
“Or maybe you just escaped out the window.” Her giggles filled him with happiness as Lucy went back to eating the last of her ramen when once again, Ohno’s mouth moved to fast for his brain.  
  
“Do you wanna get outta here?” He asked, his eyes were wide and hopeful as Lucy looked up at him with a shocked face. She had to admit, he was full of surprises. She set down her chopsticks and looked back up into his amber eyes.  
  
“Where to?” She asked.  
  
“Anywhere.” Was Ohno’s response. This seemed to be a good enough answer for Lucy as she took one last sip of her Mugicha and set it back down onto the table.  
  
“Okay.” She said. They both stood and Ohno went to go pay for their food. It took Lucy some convincing before she allowed him to pay for her. As they were about to step out onto the crowded streets of Ueno, Ohno looked back at Koji to say farewell, and the older man waved and winked at him. Ohno couldn’t help but laugh before stepping out of the Ramen shop; supplies in his hand and Lucy a few paces ahead of him.  
  
The street seemed more crowded than it had been before. There were crowds of children running from shop to shop enjoying their free weekend. Lucy and Ohno walked slowly side by side; taking in all the aromas and enjoying small talk. Ohno was looking at all the shops when one caught his eye.  
  
“Chotto.*” He said quickly as they both stopped in the middle of the street. He looked at her with a smile before running towards the shop.  
  
“Where are you going?” Lucy called after him. He turned to her with a smile.  
  
“Just wait for me right there.” He called back to her; so she did. She stood alone for a few minutes before Ohno came out of the shop with an object in both his hands. When she got a closer look, she smiled brightly at him.  
  
“You bought me Daifuku! If I didn’t know any better I would think that you were a mind reader.” She said; it made Ohno laugh out loud. She took a huge bite and almost squealed as her taste buds exploded in flavor. She looked over at Ohno, who had just taken a bit. He closed his eyes and let the flavor sink into him, before looking up at her with an unreadable expression on his precious features.  
  
“Oishii!**” He said as a smile began to form on his face. They continued to walk the downtown streets until they came to the edge of Ueno Park. They finished eating their Daifuku and began to walk through the park. Just as they were making their way towards the swings; with childlike grins on their faces; Lucy cell phone began to ring from her pants pocket. There was an unfamiliar American song as her ring tone. She looked mildly annoyed at the phone call interrupting her fun, but she answered it anyway; in Japanese.  
  
“Moshi moshi?***” She answered and Ohno just sat down on a swing and began to space out. He could hear her over the phone, speaking slightly rudely to whoever was on the other end of the line. After a moment, Lucy closed her phone and tucked it back inside her jeans pocket. She turned back to Ohno with sad eyes.  
  
“I’m sorry Ohno, that was my job. I have to go in today for a staff meeting.” She said with a sad smile. Ohno was extremely sad on the inside; the thought of him having to spend the rest of his day by himself was upsetting. Although he put on a brave face and smiled at her.  
  
“It’s all right.” He said. She smiled once more before she started to walk away from him. He watched her for a moment until looked down at his feet.  
  
“Ohno-san!” He looked up, it was Lucy. She was standing a good distance away from him, waving at him a bit.  
  
“Arigato! Today was a lot of fun!” She called out, a huge smile plastered on her face. Ohno smiled brightly at her as he waved back. She then turned around started walking away. He did the same; he decided he would go home and work on some of his figurines until one of the guys decided to call him.  
  
Ohno was only two blocks from his house when his cell phone started to go off. He took it out of his pocket and looked at the caller I.D. It wasn’t a number that he recognized but he answered it anyway.  
  
“Moshi moshi?” He answered. It was silent for a moment; but then he heard her voice.  
  
“I got your number off your cell phone when you were in the bathroom.” It made him laugh; she really was unpredictable. They laughed together; although in two different places and the thought of that comforted him.  
  
“Well, now you have my number. Call me sometime.” She said; he could practically hear her smiling over the phone. His heart fluttered and he responded.  
  
“I will.”  
  
 **to be continued...**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N:  
> *Chotto! = Wait!  
> **Oishii! = Delicious!  
> ***Moshi moshi? = Hello?  
> Keep in mind that all characters are speaking in Japanese unless noted otherwise beforehand.


	4. Chapter 4

**Ueno, Taito Ward, Tokyo. Monday, June 9th, 2008. 6:27 P.M.**

  
  
Ohno sat alone at his dining room table, his feet were pulled up against his chest and his head was resting on his knees. His mind was running a mile a minute. It had almost been two days since he had last seen Lucy. The semester was still in full bloom so she was busy teaching her classes. Of course, Ohno had been busy as well.  
  
His days were filled with rehearsals and filming their numerous variety shows. Although, whenever he had time for himself, thoughts of Lucy crept into his mind. His feelings were so muddled and new; he hoped she was feeling the same way. He looked at his cell phone that was resting on the table in front of him. He rarely used it; so what had compelled him to answer it that day. Under any normal circumstances he would have ignored the call; especially from an unfamiliar number.  
  
He picked up his phone and scanned through his contacts list, stopping when he got to her name. He wondered if he should call her, but instead his just stared at her name for a few drawn out moments.  
  
He nearly fell out of his seat when his phone began to ring. He looked at the caller I.D. and saw that it was Nino calling. He wanted to ignore it but a nagging feeling told him to answer it.  
  
“Moshi moshi? Nino-chan?” Ohno asked as he waited for Nino’s response. It was silent for a moment and then Nino’s voice came through the speaker.  
  
“Oh-chan, I’m at Ueno University hospital. Sho had an accident.” Every worse case scenario flashed through Ohno’s mind in the span of a second. The panting in Nino’s voice sent a panic through his entire body.  
  
“What? Is it bad?” Ohno sat up completely in his chair, straightening out his posture.  
  
“No, it’s just a broken finger. But all the guys are on their way, so you should come too.” Nino said, and Ohno confirmed that he would be there in twenty minutes.  
  
It only took him ten minutes to get there however because he was intent on getting there as soon as possible. When he stepped foot into Sho’s room he saw that everyone was there. Sho was sitting on his bed with a splint on his finger. Jun was sitting by the window and Aiba and Nino were sitting in the chairs on either side of the hospital bed. The second Sho set his eyes on Ohno, he sighed a heavy sigh.  
  
“It’s just a broken finger. I’m seriously okay.” She said as he looked at everyone around the room. Jun seemed to ignore his friend’s plea; it was his own simple way of letting him know that he wasn’t going anywhere. Nino scoffed at the statement. Aiba was the only one who said something in response.  
  
“Even so, I think we should stay with you, to keep you company until they discharge you.” Aiba said and the rest of the group silently agreed. They didn’t want him to get lonely while he waited by himself.  
  
Hours later all the guys decided to leave once Sho was discharged. Aiba took Sho to his car to drive him back to his apartment. Nino waved goodbye to everyone as he pulled out of his parking spot and drove away. Jun offered to drive Ohno home but he quietly refused; saying that he would rather walk. It took him nearly ten minutes to cut across the hospital parking lot and through the school campus. He was just crossing the Language Department’s parking lot when he heard his name being called.  
  
He looked behind him but couldn’t see who it was at first; the sun had set a few hours ago. Then she came into view; Lucy. A smile immediately erupted onto his face and his mood skyrocketed. He had forgotten that she mentioned that she taught at Ueno University.  
  
“What are you doing here?” She asked once she made it to his side. She had at least three large books in his arms and her usual leather messenger bag was around her shoulder. Her hair was loose, cascading down her shoulders in every direction.  
  
“My friend was admitted to the hospital here.” Ohno explained. A worried look immediately came upon Lucy’s pale face.  
  
“Oh, it’s okay! It’s just a broken finger, he’s fine.” He explained further. She looked relieved, which was surprising. She didn’t even know Sho and yet, she seemed genuinely worried about his well being. Ohno then offered to take her books for her and they walked through the parking lot together under the summer moon. Once they got to Lucy’s car, Ohno set her books inside for her and they stood outside her small black car, in a few moments of silence.  
  
“Are you parked nearby?” Lucy asked him and he immediately laughed out loud. She looked at him with a confused expression and he quickly explained.  
  
“I don’t drive.” Ohno said with a slight smile on his face. Lucy looked at him with a blank expression for a few seconds before she started busting up laughing. Ohno couldn’t help himself, he began to laugh along with her. When her laughter subsided, Lucy looked up at him with her sparkling green eyes. Pure adoration and affection written on her features.  
  
“Get in, I’ll drive you home.” She said as she got into the driver’s seat. Ohno did as he said and quickly got into her car.  
  
After carefully following Ohno’s directions, Lucy came to a smooth stop outside of his apartment. As expected, there was no car in the driveway. Just trashcans that had been left outside; he had been too lazy to bring them in before he left. Lucy cut the engine and put the car in park before turning to Ohno to say her goodbyes. He was already looking at her though and when their eyes met the tension in the car suddenly skyrocketed. Ohno unbuckled his seat belt.  
  
“Lucy-chan?” He asked, his voice just the slightest bit shaky. She made a small noise that let him know that she was listening. Ohno couldn’t stop the thumping in his chest, it almost hurt to breathe.  
  
“Do you want to come inside?” He asked, as he looked into her perfect sea green eyes. She looked speechless but only for a moment. She said nothing; just smiled timidly back at him, leaving her seat belt on.  
  
“I really shouldn’t…I’ve got classes tomorrow and I should go home and get some sleep." She said with a regrettable tone in her voice. Ohno tried not to let the hurt show on his face. He just nodded in agreement and tried his best to force a smile.  
  
“I understand. Thanks for the ride…Oyasumi nasai.” He said before stepping out of the car and walking to his doorstep; all the while Lucy watched him from the driver’s seat. Her chest hurt, she felt terrible for rejecting him so suddenly. Once he went inside his apartment and closed the door behind him, Lucy roughly rested her head against the steering wheel. She took a few deep breathes before she started the engine.  
  
Ohno immediately took a seat on the floor in front of his front door and breathed a heavy sigh. He thought for sure she would have accepted his offer and come in to enjoy some tea and a good conversation. With his head resting against his knees, Ohno tried to calm his mind and think of something to do to salvage his evening. He thought of working on some paintings, or maybe he would just make some tea and watch some late night talk shows. Either way, he was too uninterested to do anything useful for the rest of the night.  
  
As Ohno sat with his back up against his front door and his head miserably between his legs; there was a light knock at the door. At first he thought he imagined it but then it happened again; a little louder. Ohno stood and opened the door; taken aback to see Lucy standing in front of him. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes seemed to be a brighter jade than usual. She didn’t mutter a word as she took a step closer to Ohno.  
  
Ohno’s hands were resting on either side of the door frame as he waited for her to step closer. Lucy took another step forward and before long she was face to face with him. She could hear his quick breathing; his nervousness practically washing off him in waves. Her hands that were hanging motionless on either side of her hips, now were reaching out to touch him. She gently grabbed at the front of his black t-shirt and nervously tugged on it.  
  
She tentatively brought both of her hands to touch his golden hair. When she did Ohno’s heart nearly imploded in his chest. Their deep breaths collided together in the center of their closeness.  
  
In this moment, their eyes caught each other. Amber and emerald. In one smooth, sweeping motion Ohno snaked his arms around her petite waist and pulled her body against his. She could feel the intricate muscles on his stomach against her body and it excited her. Her fingers tightened around the hair at the back of his neck and their lips smashed together.  
  
Ohno couldn’t seem to get enough of her. She tasted like Mugicha with a hint of cigarettes; it was a taste he never wanted to lose. He kissed her again and again and she responded just as enthusiastically. Ohno unconsciously pulled her through the threshold of his apartment, shutting the door behind her.  
  
She was now pinned up against his front door as she let his artistic hands work their way through her long, dark hair. Every time his fingertips would brush against her cheek it sent a wave of pleasure through her insides; making goosebumps rise up on her arms.  
  
They both moaned into each other mouth’s in unison; it was in that moment that all control was lost.  
  
 _to be continued..._


	5. Chapter 5

If it hadn’t been for the sunlight shining in through his bedroom window, Ohno probably would have slept for a few more hours. He slowly pulled his eyes open and let the light blind him for a moment. He didn’t care; he had fallen asleep in a purely blissful state. A smile grew on his face as he thought of the night before and the events that had taken place. He lay there for a few more moments, letting the morning sun light warm the pale skin of his back. He pushed the pillow away from his face so that he could look at Lucy. However, all he saw was an empty space where she had fallen asleep just a few hours ago. The smile faded from his features as confusion began to set in. When he looked at the bedside table he saw a note resting on the edge; addressed to himself. He read slowly through her elegant, spotless mix of katakana and hiragana.  
  
 _Satoshi-san,  
I’m sorry but I had to leave to teach a class this morning. I wish I could have stayed. I didn’t have the heart to wake you; you looked so peaceful. I’m free anytime after 1.  
With affection,  
Lucy._  
  
Feelings of hurt were replaced with a blissful feeling making its way through his entire body. He sunk back into his bed, curling up against his comforter as he re-read her note. Now he just needed to decide how he was going to spend the rest of his face. He quickly realized that he hadn’t been to his art exhibit in a while. It only had three more days to be open so he wanted to visit again and see how things were going and maybe to meet some fans.  
  
Almost an hour later he was climbing onto the train and was heading towards the exhibit. It took him nearly a half an hour to get the venue; but once he got there he put on his favorite trucker hat and walked in through the back entrance.  
  
“Ohno-san, what a pleasure to see you!” it was Amiko, the head of the art exhibit. Ohno responded with a slight nod of his head.  
  
“Just came for a visit?” She asked him as she led him through the back rooms of the exhibit. He greeted everyone there with a kind smile; he truly appreciated everything they did to make his dream come true.  
  
“Hai, I wanted to stop by before the exhibit ended.” Ohno explained quickly, Amiko just nodded her head. Once he entered the large dimly lit room, he began to greet everyone. From employees to people passing through. It wasn’t busy inside, just a few curious people who had wandered in from the street.  
  
At least fifteen minutes later, Ohno was deep in conversation with a middle-aged company man who had read about his exhibit at the newsstands and came to have a look for himself. They were discussing a certain figurine when Ohno heard his name being called. He turned and saw Haruko walking towards him.  
  
“Haruko, what are you doing here?” Ohno asked as he approached her. She had a ridiculously large smile on her face and a blush beginning to form on her cheeks.  
  
“I was just hoping that we would run into each other.” She said with a shy smile. Before long Ohno ran out of things to say to her but he stayed to make small talk since the floor was quiet at the moment. Although, after listening to Haruko talk about his art for the past fifteen minutes; he began to tune her out. He let his eyes wander around the exhibit; glancing at his pieces and the people walking around looking at them.  
  
Someone caught his eye in the far back; she was standing next to one of his portraits. When he saw the familiar ragged leather messenger bag slung over her shoulder and wide smile broke out on his face. Then, he was filled with embarrassment as he realized what portrait she was looking at. He feared his face was about to turn the same color as the hot pink pants he wore in the photograph. Ohno turned to look at Haruko; who was in middle of telling him how amazing he was for the fourteenth time.  
  
“I’m sorry; can you excuse me for a second?” Ohno asked, hoping he didn’t come off as too rude. Haruko looked stunned for a moment but then silently nodded. Ohno didn’t want to look too eager to get away from her but his legs moved too quickly; like they weren’t his own. He came up silently behind the gazing woman, trying to keep his giddy smile from enveloping his entire face.  
  
“What brings someone like you to a place like this?” Ohno said as he watched her gasp out loud; it was immediately followed by a girly giggle. She looked over and Ohno thought she looked like she was glowing.  
  
“I read about your exhibit in the paper…so I let my lecture out early so I could come and see it for myself.” She said as she looked at him with a mischievous smile. A blush perked up on his cheeks as he looked into her beautiful green eyes.  
  
Haruko watched Ohno and this mysterious woman from a distance. She wondered how they knew each other. She obviously was a foreigner but looked to know Ohno quite well. She witnessed a momentary brush of their fingertips as they hung at their sides. It was this quick glancing of their fingers that gave them away. Haruko felt a great wave of sickness as she realized that such a touch implied their hidden romance. She turned and left as quickly as she could.  
  
“So, are you free right now?” Ohno asked as he looked at her from his peripheral vision. She was looking at his picture again, admiring the fit of his hot pink pants. She started walking towards the exit; only to look back at Ohno.  
  
“I’m free.”  
  
Down the road a few blocks away they sat across from each other in a secluded tea house. Lucy of course, was drinking her Mugicha, while Ohno was drinking some green tea. The atmosphere was light; almost freeing in some way. Ohno felt it completely and he knew that she was feeling it as well.  
  
“So…your very own art exhibit in a place that big! How did you manage that?” She asked casually. Ohno froze. She had finally questioned his profession and he was at a loss. There was an overwhelming fear growing in the pit of his stomach. There was a pointed silence as Ohno searched for the best words. Lucy’s giggle tore him out of his mental struggles.  
  
“I can’t keep this up…it’s too much.” She said as she stopped laughing at looked up at Ohno; who had perfected the lost puppy look.  
  
“I…I already know who you are.” She said quietly, as she was waiting for the wave a anger to hit the room.  
  
“You do?” He asked, as the hurt and anger started to appear on his soft features. Lucy thought that now would be the best time to cover her ass.  
  
“I’m not like a die hard fangirl or anything. I’ve heard a few songs and a few years ago a friend dragged me to go see one of your movies but…” Lucy trailed off. Ohno just watched her as he waited for the rest of her explanation. “…I didn’t realize who you were until I saw you in the paper.” Lucy said as she slowly looked up at Ohno and was surprised to find that the anger had been completely wiped away from his face. He looked at her with a blank expression for nearly a minute.  
  
“And you don’t care?” He asked a little astonished at her passive behavior towards his idol status. Most girls would fist fight to be in her position; she however, acted like it was no big deal. It was just as he had wished for, to meet someone who liked him for his inner talents and thoughts; not what the public saw on the surface.  
  
“About what?” She asked as she casually sipped on her Mugicha; looking at him like he was an alien. He couldn’t help but laugh at the ridiculousness of the situation. He looked into her bright green eyes and he could tell that she was being genuine.  
  
“That I am who I am?” He asked, hesitant to ask such a blatant question. The last thing he wanted her to think was that he was as arrogant as some of the other idols around. She smiled at him, a sweet closed mouthed smile; it made her look a few years younger for a moment.  
  
“What do you mean? You’re just Ohno-chan.” She replied with a smile in her tone. It caused Ohno to feel like his heart was speeding up and coming to a complete stop all at the same time. To think, he had probably met the only woman in Japan who didn’t care who he was. It was a breath of fresh air; a new beginning. All he could do was smile and look at her from across the table; in the silence of the secluded tea house.  
  
Nearly an hour later, Lucy had to get back to the University for her next lecture. Ohno walked her back to the art exhibit and they reluctantly said their goodbyes before Lucy drove away. Both were reluctant to leave each other’s sides but they agreed to call each other soon.  
  
Lucy’s lecture ended at nearly nine o’clock. The summer night air was warm against her face as she walked towards the Language lab parking lot. Books and documents were huddled in her arms as she fished through her purse for her car keys. It took her a moment to realize that there was someone else in the parking lot. A woman. A woman who was walking towards her.  
  
“Sumimasen…do you work here?” The woman asked. She looked younger than Lucy by at least a couple of years. However, there was something about her that made Lucy uneasy.  
  
“Hai…are you a student here?” Lucy asked as she stopped looking for her keys and waited for the woman to answer her question.  
  
“No no no. My name is Haruko. I’m a friend of Satoshi-kun’s.” She said with a fake smile plastered to her face. Lucy smiled back, although she could see right through Haruko charade.  
  
“Oh, you know Ohno-chan?” Lucy asked, She could see how visibly irritated Haruko became due to the pet name although she tried her best to hide it.  
  
“I don’t want to offend you or anything but I think you should back off.” Haruko said, still trying to keep her voice sugary sweet. The smile on Lucy’s face immediately disappeared. Before she could get a word in Haruko spoke again.  
  
“I know that you know who he is; once the press gets wind of this you secret relationship will be plastered on the cover of every tabloid magazine in Japan. You do know about Johnny’s policy about girlfriends, don’t you? He’ll most likely be forced to quit the company… because of you.” All the while, Lucy was trying her best to keep up her emotionless façade. When Haruko finally stopped talking Lucy looked her straight in the eyes.  
  
“I don’t take threats from jealous fan girls.” Lucy said with venom dripping from every syllable. She turned her back to Haruko and started walking towards her car again. Unfortunately; Haruko wasn’t going to give up so easily.  
  
“I know more about him than you ever will!” Haruko yelled out just as Lucy reached the driver’s side door. She stopped and threw her books haphazardly into the backseat. She slammed the door and began to walk back towards Haruko.  
  
“Just because last months Myojo told you what his favorite food is, doesn’t mean you know him.” Lucy said loudly as she stood in front of Haruko. She wasn’t yelling at the girl; not yet. She started to go back to her car and opened the driver’s side door again.  
  
“Do you love him?” Haruko called out, her last ditch attempt. Lucy looked up at her; a vicious and surprised look written on her face. She clenched her teeth together as she tried her hardest to keep her cool.  
  
“That’s none of your business.” Lucy said before she got into her car; slamming the door shut. She started the engine and quickly pulled out of the parking lot. Leaving Haruko standing alone in the dark.  
  
Haruko smiled to herself. She had planted the seed and all she had to do was wait for them to break themselves apart.  
  
 _to be continued..._


	6. Chapter 6

**Ueno, Taito Ward, Tokyo. Tuesday June 24th, 2008. 8:42 P.M.**

  
  
It had been over two weeks since Ohno had spoken to Lucy. He had recently done a small Dome tour across Japan and now he was finally home. He felt uneasy however, Lucy hadn’t once tried to contact him while he was away. The last time he had seen her was at the teahouse; they hadn’t parted on bad terms so he couldn’t understand why she didn’t call.  
  
He pulled out his new AU slide phone (a gift from the company) as he relaxed into his leather couch. He flipped through his contacts until it came to her name. He pressed send and listened anxiously as it continued to ring. After about five rings her voicemail clicked on. He listened to her sweet low voice echo through his phone. First she spoke in Japanese, and then repeated the same apologetic message in English. Before the message was over, he hung up the phone. She couldn’t be avoiding him, he hadn’t done anything wrong. He decided it would be best to go to her apartment and see if she was there. He hoped with all his might that she would be there.  
  
It took him nearly a half an hour to walk to Lucy’s house. She lived in a tall apartment complex, on the third floor. As he paced impatiently in the elevator, he tried to figure out what he was going to say to her. What if she had decided that being with him was a bad idea; what if she was deliberately trying to avoid him? He reached her floor and stepped out of the elevator. It was then that Ohno realized that he had never been to Lucy’s apartment before. He had only left her at the front of the building once after a late night stroll.

  
Ohno stood awkwardly in the hallway, contemplating his next move. He knew that if he called her she most likely wouldn’t answer.  
  
“You look lost.” A voice came from the other end of the hallway. Ohno turned and saw an aging woman standing there watching him. It made him a bit uneasy but he smiled at her none the less.  
  
“I’m looking for a friends apartment…I’m not sure which one she lives in.” Ohno explained, flashing her his best nice guy grin. The woman just smiled back at him; obviously giving him the once over. She walked towards him after a few moments.  
  
“Lucy?” She asked and Ohno nodded dumbly. He assumed that Lucy was the only tenant in this building likely to be his friend. Still, he couldn’t fight the blush that rose upon his cheeks in the span of a few seconds.  
  
“Come with me.” She said and he obediently followed her down the long hallway. They came to a stop at room 314; just beyond this door was Lucy. The woman knocked on the door as Ohno stood foolishly at her side.  
  
“Who is it?” Came the tired voice of Lucy from the other side of the door. Just the sound of her voice comforted Ohno; to know that he was this close to her.  
  
“It’s Tanaka, from down the hall.” She called back towards Lucy. She then looked up at Ohno; winked at him and began to walk back to her apartment. Seconds later, Lucy opened the door. She was beyond surprised to see Ohno standing there.  
  
Ohno took in her casual appearance and he couldn’t contain the laughter for very long. She wore a pair of pink-checkered boxer shorts and an orange tank top. As if that wasn’t a sight already, she was topped off with a pair of neon green house slippers. His very own fashion disaster.  
  
“Nice outfit.” He said with a bright, sarcastic smile on his face. Lucy smirked for a split second.  
  
“Says the man who still lets his mother buy his clothes.” They both laughed together for a moment until a sudden heavy air filled the hallway; surrounding them. He looked up at Lucy; a slight grin still written on her face but a dull pain reflected in her green eyes.  
  
“You haven’t called…” Ohno said quietly. He could see her usually glowing eyes filling up with tears. An ache pulsed through his chest as he watched her internal struggles like it was playing on her face.  
  
“Lucy…daijoubu?” Ohno asked as he took a step closer and took Lucy in her arms. She gripped his t-shirt until her knuckles turned white. She sobbed into his shirt as he ran his delicate hands through her dark hair. After a few minutes, Lucy looked up into Ohno’s eyes. It hurt him to see all her pain reflected back to him.  
  
“Who’s Haruko?” She asked and Ohno froze. How could Lucy possibly know who Haruko is?  
  
“She’s a girl who works at the art supply shop that I go to…why?” Ohno asked, confusion making his eye brows furrow together. Lucy took a deep breath and told him.  
  
“She…she threatened me…in the parking lot at the college.” Lucy admitted, looking ashamed that she hadn’t told him earlier. The horror that seeped into his veins froze Ohno in place. He knew this way happening because of him, because of who he was. He took her quickly into his arms and hugged her as tightly as his body would allow; her hot breathes seeping through the cotton of his t-shirt.  
  
“You don’t have to worry. I won’t let anything happen to you.” Ohno whispered. It was the truth, he would try his best to keep her safe. After what felt like an hour, Ohno led her into her apartment. He politely took off his shoes and replaced them with the only available pair of house sippers; which thankfully weren’t neon colored. The apartment was small and cozy; he was surprised to see a very limited amount of western furniture inside the apartment.  
  
There were three rooms; the living area which had a small kitchen in the far corner and a small sitting table that still had the remnants of her last meal scattered on it. The room just opposite from her table was a small tatami room with a sliding rice paper door; it was minutely decorated and looked rarely used.  
  
Ohno followed Lucy into her kitchen where she poured herself a cup of coffee and leaned up against the counter as she took slow sips. Ohno’s eyes traveled to her refrigerator where he saw the newspaper clipping of his art show; his smiling face peering back at him from the front page. It made him smile momentarily before looking back at Lucy. She took one last sip and then placed the mug in the sink. She met his concerned eyes and tried her best to look okay with the situation.  
  
He could see her exhaustion; there were faint circles under her eyes. Her took her gently by the hand and led her towards the last room. It was her bedroom as he had expected it to be. Ohno was surprised to see a large bed in the corner of the room; the rest was wall to wall bookshelves and a desk that was covered with school papers. Written in both Japanese and English.  
  
Lucy immediately lay down and crawled underneath her black comforter. Ohno was unsure of what to do until Lucy patted the pillow and looked up at him expectantly. He grinned at her before removing his jeans and crawling underneath the covers. Her cold feet were a perfect contrast to his warm legs. He planted a warm kiss on her forehead as she curled up into his arms. With her face pressed as close as she could into the crook of his neck and shoulders, Lucy fell asleep. However, Ohno lay awake for hours; his mind racing a mile a minute. Contemplating the things that happened to Lucy and how he could fix it.  
  


*****************

  
  
“Are you insane?” Ohno’s eyes snapped open as the intruding voice knocked him out of his cat nap. He was on the couch in his dressing room; exhaustion from the night before making him feel like a zombie. He looked up and saw Sho glaring angrily at him.  
  
“Hello to you, too.” Ohno said, sarcasm dripping from his voice as he sat up and looked back up to Sho.  
  
“You better be prepared to explain this to everyone.” Sho said as he dropped a magazine on the coffee table in front of Ohno. With one glance at the photo on the cover all the air escaped Ohno’s lungs. It was Ohno and Lucy embracing in the hallway of her apartment complex.  
  
“Who took this picture?” Ohno asked quickly, the sarcasm replaced with anger.  
  
“What does it matter? This is going to be a big deal no matter who took it. The five of us have a meeting with Johnny-san. Tonight.” Sho said before he left the room. Ohno just sat in silence; staring at the picture in front of him.  
  
 _to be continued..._


	7. Chapter 7

**Ueno, Taito Ward, Tokyo. Wednesday June 25th, 2008. 12:41 P.M.**

  
  
The taxi couldn’t have seemed like it was going any slower as Ohno sat impatiently in the back seat. It had been nearly thirty minutes since Sho had shown him the picture. He knew he needed to see Lucy as soon as possible so that he could explain everything to her. He just hoped that she hadn’t seen it already and come to her own conclusions about the situation.  
  
Nearly ten minutes later the taxi came to a stop in front of Lucy’s apartment complex. He was surprised to find no one waiting outside the door. Paparazzi or something to that affect were absent at the moment; which eased Ohno’s heart a bit. He paid the taxi driver and quickly jumped out of the car. He ran as fast as he could, opting to take the stairs instead of waiting for the elevator. Once he was in front of her door, he frantically knocked. He hoped desperately that she would be home; that she would open her door and take him in her arms.  
  
After waiting for a few moments, the door finally opened in front of Ohno. He looked at her; taking in her casual appearance. She wore a pair of tight black jeans and an ‘Art-School’ t-shirt that looked like it had seen better days. She looked up at him and didn’t say a word. For a moment, Ohno was at a loss. He thought she was angry at him but then…she quickly smiled up at him. She moved over to let him walk into her house and Ohno smiled at the thought that he had made it in time.  
  
After a few minutes he was sitting comfortably at the table in the center of her living area. Lucy was standing over the stove; heating up some water for their tea. The constant nervous feeling was becoming worse by the second. Every moment felt like something was threatening to explode from the pit of Ohno’s stomach. He stared at his folded hands that rested on top of the table. Suddenly something was dropped in front of his hands; he knew what it was immediately, without even having to look up to see what it was. It was the tabloid cover that featured the both of them, holding each other in a private embrace. A fit of violent butterflies fluttered in his stomach as he slowly looked up at Lucy. For a moment she was silent until she moved to take a seat across from Ohno at the table. When she looked up at him, her eyes were cold and unappealing.  
  
“Today while I was in my office, my boss came in and showed this to me.” When she spoke, she was quiet and it was obvious she was trying to keep her emotions tucked inside. Ohno could only watch her helplessly, feeling like he was going to break at any moment.  
  
“My _boss_ saw this before me…” She whispered, she didn’t look up at Ohno. There was a pregnant silence that hung over them. Ohno simply didn’t know what he should say to try and make the situation less stressful. He just sat and watched Lucy.  
  
“Is this why you came here?” Lucy asked, folding her arms and finally looking up into Ohno’s scared eyes. Ohno was almost too scared to answer; though he knew that he should, he cared about her too much to lie to her. He simply nodded his head. Though he was glad that he answered her honestly, she seemed to become more upset with his answer.  
  
He wasn’t expecting her to stand up and make a bee-line for the front door. He caught up to her by the time she was pulling on her left shoe.  
  
“Stop! Where are you going?” Ohno shouted, surprised by the volume of his own voice. Lucy was shocked as well, but it didn’t stop her from continuing to put her shoes on.  
  
“I just need to be alone.” She said simply, trying to hide the quiver in her voice.  
  
“Please, don’t do this. I can fix this!” Ohno said as he tried to block her from grabbing her jacket. She stopped; the crease in between her eyebrows dug an incredible hole in Ohno’s chest. It hurt him almost physically to see her so distressed.  
  
“You can’t fix it. I can’t be with you here, for all we know there is someone taking pictures of us right now! I can’t handle something like this right now…so I’m going to go and be alone.” She finished as she grabbed her jacket and her messenger bag and walked out the door of her own apartment. Leaving Ohno standing there; nearly in tears. Thinking about what he was going to do next.  
  
Lucy didn’t know where she was going; she was just walking aimlessly around Ueno Park; trying to get the entire situation processed in her mind. In her haste to leave she left her cell phone in her apartment, making her feel even more alone. The sun was hot in the sky but she still wore her sweater. She felt cold on the inside as she pulled at the sleeves in an attempt to pull the fabric closer.  
  
As she came to a crosswalk, Lucy let her eyes wander aimlessly at the people around her. People getting food during their lunch breaks; people walking and smiling with their significant others. The light turned green and she began to walk across the busy street, continuing on her aimless quest. When she looked up she saw a face that seemed familiar to her; walking from the opposite direction. He was getting closer, almost to the point where they would cross each other in the street. However, once he got close enough to pass; he stopped. In the middle of the road he stopped beside Lucy; resting his hand on her shoulder.  
  
“I need to talk to you.” He said. His voice low and near the point of threatening.  
  
They walked only a few minutes before they stepped into the quiet coffee shop. They sat in the back so that they wouldn’t have a chance of being seen. He was calm as he spoke to her, but she heard the obvious worry in his voice.  
  
“I understand that it’s not your fault…or Ohno’s fault. But you have to understand the seriousness of the situation. It could seriously affect his career. All that’s he’s worked for all these years can get destroyed by a couple of pictures.” He said before taking a sip of his coffee. He looked at her with piercing eyes as he reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a worn pack of cigarettes and lit one up quickly. Lucy would have said something against it usually, but it just didn’t seem like the right time; so she let him inhale and exhale across from her. Lucy knew that his words weren’t meant to be rude, but she couldn’t help but feel a bit defensive. She also knew that her feelings for Ohno were not going to just go away.  
  
“I get what you’re saying…but I can’t help the way I feel.” Lucy said quietly and shyly. She wasn’t comfortable saying these kinds of things in front of his close friends; especially since they were practically strangers.  
  
“I’m just saying that you should be prepared for a backlash if you keep seeing each other. This could get a lot worse than just a couple of pictures in a magazine.” He said without a hint of humor in his voice. He took another long drag of his cigarette and finished off the last of his coffee. He sighed loudly as he set the white coffee mug on the table between them.  
  
“I don’t want anything to be taken away from him because of this…but at the same time I want him to be happy…” He said, letting his thoughts wander a bit. “Is that strange?” He asked with a hint of a smile. He didn’t wait for her to answer as he took some money out of his wallet and left it on the table in front of Lucy. He stamped out his cigarette after taking one last drag.  
  
“You love him, don’t you?” Lucy asked as he stood. He paused for a moment as he contemplated her question. He may have been taken aback at her inquiry but Lucy could tell he was going to answer her. He looked back at her with a sad smile on his face.  
  
“I guess we’ll never know.” He said before walking away from the table and promptly leaving the shop. Lucy was at a loss for the rest of the day. By the time she wandered back into her apartment, it was nearly seven P.M. Something inside her felt disappointed when she saw that Ohno wasn’t there. Without any thought, she lay down on her bed and thought about the night before. When he held her, when he promised to keep her safe. Now she was alone and cold in her apartment; trying to think of how to make the situation better for herself and for Ohno.  
  
Ohno had been dreading the evening all day; the last thing he wanted to do was explain himself to Johnny. He already had to explain the situation to the members; they all listened to him with patience and an open mind. The only person who hadn’t given him a chance to explain was Nino; who had been oddly absent all day.  
  
Now the five of them were all sitting in five stiff chairs inside Johnny’s stuffy office. When the man himself came into the room; they all stood and bowed to him. He was their boss after all.  
  
“If the five of you would excuse us, I’d like to speak to Satoshi-kun alone first.” He said. They five of them all exchanged a look and a weak nod before they left the room to let them be.  
  
  
 _to be continued..._


	8. Chapter 8

Ohno sat alone in front of the one person who could be his worst enemy in a situation like this. Johnny Kitagawa was sitting behind his desk; looking at the front page of the infamous tabloid. Ohno didn’t know what to expect; his four band mates were waiting impatiently outside. He was on his own. The silence in the room was solid; it was too much for him to handle. He cleared his throat and Johnny glanced up at him from the magazine. After a long, tiring moment Johnny set the magazine down on his desk and looked Ohno square in the eyes. Ohno readied himself for what he knew was coming next.  
  
“Well…she is beautiful…” Johnny said quietly. Ohno was taken aback for a moment; gaping at Johnny-san with wide eyes.  
  
“Eh?” Ohno responded as he replayed the moment over and over again in his head. Johnny stood from behind his desk and leaned against the front, crossing his legs directly in front of Ohno.  
  
“Look…I can’t really stop any of you from being with…whoever you want to be with. Nobody can…” Ohno looked as if he had just seen an alien; he never expected for Johnny to be this lenient with him. It almost made Johnny want to laugh, but he continued on.  
  
“The only thing I can really do if hope that you find the person who deserves you. There are plenty of people out there who want to be with you just because of the name attached to the face. Is she one of those people?” Johnny asked, finally giving Ohno a chance to clear his mind and speak.  
  
“No, sir.” He answered simply. A fraction of smile appeared on Johnny-san’s lips.  
  
“Then what are you still doing here?” The question caught him off guard for a moment. As if it were a normal, knee-jerk reaction, Ohno stood up suddenly and quickly bowed to Johnny. Seconds later, he bolted out the door, running as fast as he could down the long hallway. The guys, who were still waiting outside of the office, called out to him. He didn’t stop for them however; he had somewhere far more important to be.  
  
***  
  
He looked around the desolate room in a daze. He could feel his heart pounding against his chest. His brain couldn’t keep up; not with what he faced with at this very moment. He was only drawing a blank.  
  
“She left not too long ago.” A voice came from behind him. He turned quickly and saw Tanaka-san; the helpful tenant from down the hall. He walked up to her; she could see the pain that was written plainly on his face.  
  
“Tanaka-san, what happened?" Ohno asked, turning his gaze back to the nearly empty apartment. All the normal pieces of furniture were still there; only here personal belongings were gone. It was enough missing to be noticeable.  
  
“She didn’t say, she only said that ‘it was for the best’.” Tears began to sting his eyes as he ached for Lucy. Dying for some kind of reasonable explanation; but there was none. Her sudden absence caused a hole to wedge its way into his heart. He walked further into the kitchen; as he did so Tanaka-san took her leave. He obviously wanted to be alone in a moment like this.  
  
Ohno gazed at the refrigerator and noticed that all her pictures were still hanging in their places; but one was missing. The one-page article about his art exhibit was absent from its usual place on her fridge. This made Ohno’s walls break and his tear ducts; letting warm tears slip down his cheeks. His arms were slumped at his sides as he let himself break down.  
  
He dragged his feet to the opposite side of the apartment, until he stood in front of the door that let to her bedroom. When he slid the door open, he could see that most of all her possessions were gone from this room. Everything in her desk had been emptied out; only the least important things were left behind. He gazed at her bed, the blankets and pillows still lain across the surface. On top of the comforter, he saw a small scrap of paper. The words written were scrawled quickly; they looked like a kid had written them. He picked up the paper and read the message over and over.  
  
 _“I was never a fan of long goodbyes.”_ He stared at it silently for a moment, letting his sniffles and heavy breathing fill the room. He pushed the wrinkled note in the front pocket of his jeans and crawled pathetically onto her cold bed. He wrapped his slightly trembling body inside her comforter; it faintly smelled like her. Every image that flashed in his mind was of her smiling face. However, before he fell asleep in the abandoned bed; all images of her smiling face had been replaced with only memories of her tears.  
  
 _to be continued..._


	9. Chapter 9

Ohno was woken up from the near constant vibration coming from the cell phone in his back pocket. He opened his eyes, expecting to be blinded by the shining light of morning but was surprised when there was none. He sat up and eyes the window carefully; seeing hints of sunlight behind the blinds.  
  
The vibration in his pocket started once more and it snapped him further into the reality surrounding him. He was sitting in her bed, alone; fully dressed. The blankets that smelled like her were wrapped around the lower half of his body; with the realization every part of his body seemed to freeze in place. After a moment, the vibration became a numbness against his leg as he tried his best to ignore it. Until finally with a resonating sigh; he reached behind himself and yanked it out of his pocket. He glanced at the caller I.D. and saw that it was Nino.  
  
“Hai?” He answered. His voice sleepy and as close as it could come to a mumble.  
  
“Maybe you’ve forgotten, but we have a photo shoot for Wink-Up today.” Nino said, not bothering to hide the obvious irritation in his voice. It had completely slipped Ohno’s mind and the last night he wanted to deal with right now was work.  
  
“It doesn’t matter…there’s no way I could handle it right now…” Ohno whispered harshly as he closed his eyes as tight as he could. There was a silent moment between the two of them, nothing but static traveling between the receivers.  
  
“What happened?” Nino finally asked, breaking their silence. Ohno fought the frog in his throat as tears immediately began to swell up in his eyes once again; at just the thought of her. Nino was deathly quiet as he listened to the older man sob through the receiver.  
  
“Tell me where you are and I’ll come get you.”  
  
Nearly an hour later, Nino hesitantly opened the door to Ohno’s apartment and led the quiet man inside. Somehow Ohno felt like a stranger in his own house; everything around him made images of Lucy swim through his tired eyes.  
  
“Do you want anything?” Nino asked as he shut the door and walked into the living room; following Ohno wherever he went in his apartment. Eventually following him through the hall and down into his bedroom; the whole time Ohno didn’t say anything. Nino could only watch as Ohno dragged himself into his cold bed; shivering from the feeling of the frigid, unused sheets against his skin.  
  
Nino walked out of the room and into the kitchen. His eyes seemed dead as poured a glass of water for Ohno. As he shut off the faucet, he felt an ache rising up from the pit of his stomach and into his throat; it tasted like bile. He felt his eyes begin to water as he stood alone in the dark room. He could feel his knuckles turning white as he gripped the side of the counter with his open hand; a silent sob escaped him but he did his best to choke it back. This wasn’t the time to be selfish; he needed to be there for his best friend. He sniffed back his tears before walking back towards Ohno’s room.  
  
He set the water down on the nightstand and looked down at Ohno. He has curled himself into the fetal position, his arms tucked around his knees. Nino glanced around him and noticed that Ohno hadn’t gotten out of his clothes. Nino was at a loss; he couldn’t stand to be in such a heavy room any longer. He could feel the weight of Ohno’s unhappiness on his shoulders and it was almost too much for him.  
  
“I’ll get your schedule moved to tomorrow so…you can just stay here.” Nino whispered but the only response he got was a slight nod from Ohno.  
  
After Nino spent the next twenty minutes arguing with their manager about Ohno having the day off; and it ended up resulting in all of them getting the day off. Nino didn’t know what to do with himself after he hung up the phone and stood alone in Ohno’s living room. Eventually he laid himself down across Ohno’s couch and decided to try and rest. Although his mind was swimming with thoughts and sympathies for Ohno; he couldn’t shake the growing ache in his heart.  
  
Hours later, Ohno woke up in his own bed; he felt disoriented at first and then the weight of Lucy disappearing returned to his mind. He looked out his window and saw that the sun was beginning to disappear; leaving his bedroom in a soft yellow glow. He pulled himself out of bed and made his way out of his room. He stood in his living room for a silent moment until he heard heavy breathing coming from his couch. He glanced towards the couch and caught a small glimpse of a small, lean figure asleep.  
  
“Lucy!?” Ohno said as he ran in the direction of the steady breathing. Once he reached the couch however; he realized who it was.  
  
“Nino.” He sighed as he stared down at the shocked face of his best friend. He didn’t mean to startle him; it was just his groggy eyes playing tricks on him. He slumped down against the couch, his body pinned in between the cushions and his coffee table. His body was limp and tired and Nino could see he was at a loss.  
  
Ohno couldn’t explain what happened to him next; or what prompted Nino to think that this was his opportunity. However, Ohno could still feel time stand still as he felt soft, warm lips against his own. He could feel the chapped skin of his lips as his closest friend pressed them harder against each other. Ohno held his breathe as his mind struggled to keep up with what was going on around him. Eventually, his mind blew and fuse and Ohno pulled away from Nino as fast as his body would let him move; his back hitting his coffee table with a loud thump.  
  
Ohno’s eyes were practically bulging out of his eyes; as if Nino has suddenly transformed into [Sadako](http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh292/jhem_013/sadako.gif). Nino was silent; he knew there was no going back now but he couldn’t stand to look into Ohno’s eyes. Ohno stood suddenly, hovering tall over Nino. There was painful silence between the two friends until Ohno broke through it. His voice seemed to echo through the still, dark room.  
  
“Why would you do that to me?” He asked before turning his back to Nino. He grabbed a random jacket from the coat hanger that stood beside his front door before bursting through; slamming the door behind him. Leaving Nino alone in his apartment. In all honesty, Ohno didn’t know where he was going; he just needed to be anywhere but home.  
  
It was nearly nine P.M. when Ohno decided to get on the train; and as if he was programmed to, he stepped onto the Ginza Line. His car was nearly empty as he took a seat and watched the walls surrounding the train pass by in a flash. He felt like he spent hours on the train until he got off. He was close to home but far away enough that he didn’t feel the pain of everything that had transpired that day. Before he realized where his feet had taken him, he found himself walking down a nearly empty Ueno Marketplace.  
  
Memories of his experiences with Lucy in this very marketplace were flooding every space of his brain that wasn’t already occupied by her image. He let his subconscious take him where it wanted to go until eventually he found himself in front of a very familiar shop.  
  
He knocked three times; hoping to get the attention that he suddenly was pining for. After a few moments of waiting patiently, with a stern look on his face; the door in front of him swung open. The bells from the top of the door filling the quiet night with chimes.  
  
“Satoshi-kun?”  
  
“Haruko…”  
  
 _to be continued..._


	10. Chapter 10

Ohno stood in front of Haruko; questioning why he had decided to come here. He couldn’t believe that he was standing now in front of the one person he didn’t want to see most in the world. At this point, she even topped Nino at the top of his ‘people I don’t want to look at’ list. Haruko just stood in front of Ohno, waiting for him to speak.  
  
“I’ve been thinking all day that it was my fault. That she left because of me…” Ohno spoke barely above a whisper. He stared at a spot on the ground beside Haruko’s feet. She watched him with a blank expression, not quite sure if he wanted her to talk back to him.  
  
“But when I was on the train, thinking over the past few months…I came to a realization. Everything has gone wrong…because of you. Everything is your fault.” Ohno mumbled quietly. When Ohno finally looked up into Haruko’s eyes; it was the first time Haruko ever understood the full meaning of the expression ‘icy stare’. The raw emotions that threatening to spill onto Ohno’s flushed cheeks made the hairs on Haruko’s arms stand on edge.  
  
“I don’t know what you mean.” Haruko did her best at playing dumb but there was no doubt that she was suddenly nervous. Her posture changed completely and she began to fidget and pick at her nails; she also tried her best not to look Ohno in the eyes.  
  
“You took those pictures…didn’t you?” Ohno said, his voice sounded emotionless but the look on his face left all his feelings on the surface. There was a long drawn out moment of silence between them until Ohno heard Haruko break into a quiet laughter. Ohno looked up at her, his blank expression morphing into one of anger.  
  
“I did.” Haruko said as she stood in front of Ohno, her posture changed once again. She had her arms folded in front of her chest and now she looked straight into Ohno’s eyes with confidence. Ohno got a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach just by looking at her.  
  
“She’s probably back in the U.S. by now.” Haruko said, trying to dig the knife a little deeper into Ohno’s gut. The thought of Lucy being in a completely different country than himself hurt Ohno beyond imagination. He couldn’t imagine being that far apart from her; from possibly never seeing her again. However, in this moment, all her could do was stare at Haruko in disbelief.  
  
“Why would you do something like that?” Ohno asked. He was nearly at his wits end, he could feel the tears threatening to spill over his eyes.  
  
“Why else would I do it? Because she doesn’t deserve you.” Haruko said with all seriousness.  
  
“And you do!?” It felt like it was the first time Ohno had ever yelled at anybody like that in his entire life; and it felt good. The voice in the back of his head urged him to apologize; be the sweet, oblivious man that everyone knows; but there was no way he could revert back to that person in this moment. This was the person that drove Lucy away from him with her threats and blackmail; there was no way she could earn his forgiveness.  
  
“You’ve completely ruined everything. You make me sick.” Ohno said, practically feeling the fury pouring through his veins. It made his skin feel like it was burning, he could imagine the paleness of his skin colored with a layer of red anger. Haruko stood in front of him, shocked at his anger. She tried her best to lay on the charm once again; she reached out her hand to gently touch the hot skin of his cheek. Ohno felt freezing cold finger tips come in contact with his skin; and it burned like acid. He quickly pushed it away and looked into her eyes once more.  
  
“You come near me again and I’ll have you arrested.” Ohno spoke in a low, threatening tone before he turned around and walked away from her. Haruko was left speechless in front of the art supply shop.  
  
Ohno was letting his feet guild him once more. It was just past eleven and the last place he wanted to go was back to his apartment. Even though he was entirely sure that Nino would have left by now, the last thing he wanted to be was alone. So he walked along the nearly empty streets of Tokyo; not bothering to get on the train this time. He wanted life to slowly pass him by.  
  
After about a half hour of his steady walking, he was now in front of a small house; only a few flickers of light could be seen through the window. He knocked hesitantly and waited to see if anyone would come to the door. When the door opened he was met with a heartwarming smile that he couldn’t help but return.  
  
“Kaa-chan…” Ohno started to speak but his voice was cut off by his tears. His mother spoke to him in a warm, motherly voice as she hugged her son tightly. After a moment, she led him into the house and shut the door behind them. Ohno stubbornly whipped the tears away from his eyes and he looked back at his mother.  
  
“Why were you still awake?” Ohno asked as he looked at the small chair and side table. Her reading lamp was on with a book and a cup of tea sitting on the side table. She had obviously still been awake.  
  
“I suppose I just knew you would come over.” She answered simply. She picked up the cup of tea and carried into the kitchen, setting in down in the sink. She could feel Ohno’s confused eyes on her back.  
  
“How did you know I would come?” Ohno asked as he slipped on his house slippers and followed her into the kitchen. His mother turned to look at him with a knowing smile.  
  
“I read about you in the paper. I knew you would stop by like this eventually.” She said with a smile.  
  
Ohno slept comfortably that night, lying in his old bed. His room was still as he left it when he moved into his own apartment. He let his mind wander over everything that had happened over the past few months.  
  
Meeting Lucy on the train and their moments together that caused their relationship to grow stronger and more prominent. Also, everything that tore them apart. Everything that Haruko’s jealousy caused; the seed that she planted that grew only to push himself and Lucy further away from each other. Maybe because of who he was, he really didn’t have any business dating anyone who led a normal life. He could have just listened to his mother all those years ago when she told him to just marry a nice Japanese girl and led a life to be proud of. All this things bounced back and forth in his mind until he eventually fell asleep.  
  


******************

  
  
He woke up the next morning by the sound of his alarm clock beside his bed. He had to get back to work today; yesterday was the closest to a personal day that he could take. He lazily climbed out his bed and walked down the stairs to see if he could find anything worth eating before he showered and got ready to leave. He stopped in his tracks when he heard the sounds of the most infectious laughter that he knew coming from his dining room. When he turned the corner he saw his mom sitting at the table, enjoying a cup of coffee with Aiba Masaki.  
  
“Ah! Ohayou Riida!” Aiba said with a big smile on his face; Ohno smiled at him for a moment before pouring himself a cup of coffee.  
  
“Manager asked me to come down and let you know what’s on our schedule today. Your mom called us to let us know that you were here. Sorry not everyone could come along.” Aiba said with a smile but Ohno just scoffed and took a sip of his coffee.  
  
“You could have just called me.” Ohno said. He wasn’t really upset with Aiba, he was still 88% thinking about Lucy; the idea of having to spend all day with Nino didn’t really help his mood either.  
  
“Well okay…it was my idea to come down here and tell you but this way you don’t have to take the train to work. And after yesterday, we were all really worried about you.” Aiba said, giving an awkward glance towards Ohno’s mom; she was just looking up at Ohno with a worried gaze.  
  
“What happened, Satoshi?” she asked. Ohno sighed; this was the last thing that he wanted to deal with; having to tell the story to someone else. He was silent for a moment and then he gave the simplest explanation that he could think of.  
  
“Lucy disappeared.” Ohno said while looking at Aiba but knowing full well that his mother was clinging to every syllable he spoke. Aiba’s face fell immediately and the room went silent. There was an awkwardness lingering in the room now between the three of them.  
  
“Lucy. The girl that was in the picture?” Ohno’s mother asked. Ohno nodded silently without looking over at his mother; he had suddenly become very interested in his cup of coffee; taking sips every few seconds to try and calm his nerves. There was suddenly a loud, banging noise that came from the table. Ohno’s eyes snapped up and looked at his mother for a moment; she had her hand covering her mouth as she gazed up at Aiba. Aiba, who was now standing, had his eyebrows furrowed as he stared at Ohno.  
  
“Why aren’t you going after her?” Aiba asked. He sounded incredibly irritated at Ohno; such an expression of this emotion was a rarity for Aiba.  
  
“I would but I don’t know where to look; it’s not like she left a change of address. She could be back in America for all I know!” Ohno said, sounding defeated but still trying to defend himself. Unfortunately for him, Aiba wasn’t going to just let it slide; he was too much of an optimist for that.  
  
“So you’re just gonna let it go? Forget about her and move on?” Aiba was borderline yelling at his fellow member; which was completely catching Ohno off guard. His mother was watching everything with an open mouth.  
  
“What do you expect me to do Aiba!? You know who I am, I can’t just up and leave to go and search for someone who I don’t even know is still in the country! I can’t!” Ohno shouted back at him and he set his coffee mug harshly on the counter.  
  
“There isn’t any reason for me to run after her; she left for a reason. She’ll come back if she wants to.” Ohno said, quietly now as he looked into Aiba’s sad eyes. He knew Aiba was just looking out for him. The one thing Aiba hated was when people were sad and unhappy; all he wanted to do was put a flicker of light back into Ohno’s eyes.  
  
“What if she doesn’t come back?” Aiba asked sadly. He already knew the answer to that question.  
  
“I’m going to go take a shower. We have filming today.” Ohno said in a near whisper before he turned and walked out of the room; leaving a defeated Aiba alone in the dining room with his mother.  
  
 _to be continued_


	11. Chapter 11

It took nearly an hour for Aiba and Ohno to arrive at the photo shoot venue. The first thing on the agenda today was to finish the rescheduled Wink-Up photo shoot that was originally supposed to take place the day before. Ohno wasn’t necessarily looking forward to his responsibilities today; the last thing he wanted to do was be a part of Arashi. He didn’t want to smile; he didn’t want to answer questions. He didn’t want to pretend that he was happy; but he had no choice.  
  
He walked through the lengthy, white tiled hallway until he got to the room that was labeled as their dressing room. When he and Aiba entered the room, the other three members were already inside. Sho was sitting by himself, isolated from the group while he read through a few newspapers. Jun was standing in front of the full length mirror; checking his clothing for the photo shoot; making sure each article of clothing fit him just right. Nino was sitting on the couch opposite Sho, playing on his DS; oblivious to the world around him. Ohno kept his eyes on Nino, waiting to see his reaction at seeing him. When Nino looked up, the closest that he came to a surprised reaction was a momentary dilation of his pupils. Then he turned his attention back to his game. Before Ohno could even do anything, their manager walked in from behind them.  
  
“Ah, Ohno-kun; good to see you’re here. Listen up guys, we have to make this photo shoot quick. The staff is on a tight schedule to get the pictures together before they have to press the issue – so let’s be fast and professional, ne?” He said as he looked at the members one by one to make sure there were no objections or to make sure that no one was going to take their leave again.  
  
“Yosh. Group shots are first and then we will go through the individual shots. From here we will go film a quick interview with Hey Hey Hey and then we have a filming of Arashi no Shukudai-kun and then you can go home. Sho, you have News Zero in between Hey Hey Hey and Shukudai; so we’ll just meet with you there.” He read off his schedule and when there were no objections he stepped out of the room.  
  
Once the manager was out of the room, Ohno could suddenly feel the tension in the room; it was almost thick like a fog hanging over their bodies. Aiba did his best to cheer up the atmosphere but it only really had an affect on Sho. Jun was keeping to himself and Ohno suspected that Nino was concentrating on his game a bit more than usual. However, today Ohno decided that it was best to ignore it; he would confront Nino when the opportunity was appropriate.  
  
It came time for them to take the group shots and Ohno found this incredibly difficult today. Their group shots are supposed to represent their impenetrable friendship; the unbreakable bond between the five of them; however every time Ohno felt a hand on his shoulder he flinched at the thought that it might be Nino’s. All and all, the group shot felt like a walk through hell for Ohno; but he braved it all with a smile. He was relieved when it was time for the individual shots and he got to at least sit down for a moment; to think. He sat down on the couch in the quiet dressing room while the other members watched the individual shots.  
  
It was at least fifteen minutes before Ohno heard the door open quietly. He opened his eyes and laid them on the only person he didn’t want to see. Nino stood awkwardly at the door, nervously fidgeting with the hem of his black and white stripped blazer. Ohno closed his eyes tightly, trying to block Nino from his vision; trying to forget about what transpired between them two nights ago. Ohno stood, fully prepared to walk straight past Nino and out of the room; avoiding the obstacles. Nino however, knew exactly how Ohno liked to deal with his problems and stopped him.  
  
“Don’t you think it’s time to stop running from your problems?” Nino asked just as Ohno was about to walk right by him. It wasn’t meant to hurt as much as it did; Nino spoke softly and calmly, it was just something about the statement cut Ohno. They stood side by side, Ohno looking longingly towards the door.  
  
“Look, we need to talk about what happened the other day.” Nino said, resting a hand on Ohno’s shoulder to keep him from leaving. Ohno almost wanted to laugh out loud; he didn’t want to talk. He wanted to forget the whole thing ever happened; he wanted his best friend and his girlfriend back.  
  
“I know, I’m sorry you had to go out of your way to pick me up and take me back to my apartment. I’ll make it up to you with ramen sometime.” Ohno spoke lamely as he tried to leave the dressing room. Nino however was quicker than him and stopped him before he could get out the door.  
  
“You know that’s not what I’m talking about.” Nino said, his voice low but sincere. Ohno sighed heavily and didn’t try to leave again. He knew he was being unreasonable and that he should give his best friend a chance to explain himself; and a chance to save their friendship.  
  
“Okay, say what you want to say.” Ohno said, it came out sounding more insensitive than he had planned but at this point he didn’t care; Nino already knew he was upset. Nino slowly let go of his arm as he took a steadying breath.  
  
“I’m really sorry; I’m not sure how to explain myself.” Nino paused for a moment. Ohno could feel the overflowing nervousness that was falling off of Nino and it made him more and more nervous to hear what he was going to say. It felt like the thermostat had been turned up as high as it would go; the sudden heat made Ohno feel slightly dizzy.  
  
“I realized something when I talked to Lucy-“ Nino began to say but was abruptly cut off by Ohno; who looked like he had just seen a ghost.  
  
“What? When did you see Lucy?” Ohno asked, taking a step towards Nino. Nino was caught off guard; he hadn’t expected Ohno to react this way from just the mention of her name. He took another long breath before he began again, this time Ohno seemed to be hanging on every word.  
  
“It was two days ago, before she disappeared. The picture had just gotten published and everyone was talking about how you were going to get suspended. So…I decided to go to Lucy’s apartment to talk to her; but I ended up meeting her on the street. We talked for a while and while we were talking…It was like it just hit me!” Nino said, explaining the whole situation to a now very attentive Ohno.  
  
“She asked me if I loved you and it was like it finally sank in; we’ve been best friends for ten years and the way I feel…it isn’t just the kind of feelings that best friends have for each other.” Nino said finally, his voice lowering a little bit; as if he was ashamed to be saying these things in front of Ohno. Nino tried his best to avoid eye contact but suddenly Ohno didn’t want to break it.  
  
“Even though I feel this way; even though I love you the way that I do…I want nothing more than for you to be happy.” Nino said in a pained voice, as he took a step closer to Ohno; Ohno didn’t step back.  
  
“And I know that Lucy made you happy.” Ohno flinched at Nino’s use of past-tense but he let the younger man continue.  
  
“So…I’m not gonna push this, okay?” Nino said with a sad smile, letting the eyes drift away from the ground to meet with Ohno’s. They were sparkling with tears, trying his best not to let any of them fall onto his cheeks. Ohno conflicting emotions finally got the best of him and he was the first to break down. He walked up to Nino and took him in an embrace that nearly knocked all the air out of the younger man. This was the last reaction that Nino had expected out of Ohno; he had expected to get ignored or punched in the face; definitely not pulled into an emotion hug that only seemed to raise more questions. They were silent together for a moment; Nino could just barely feel Ohno’s trembling shoulders against him; he was crying.  
  
“Ohno…” Nino whispered carefully, testing the man whose arms were around him; clutching him like he was going to fall at any moment.  
  
“You have no idea how hard these past few days have been. I’ve been barely holding it together but…every second I want to bury myself away and never come out again.” Ohno mumbled into Nino’s shoulders; he could feel the hot tears spread through the fabric of his tailored suit. Nino finally wrapped his thin arms around Ohno and pulled him in tighter.  
  
“You know you can’t do that. Everyone is looking at you to be the leader; not just the other members. The fans too; they are all supporting you right now.” Nino said, trying his best to reassure Ohno. He listened to Ohno’s sniffles and quiet sobs patiently, waiting for him to get a hold of himself once again.  
  
“Why would she just leave?” Ohno finally whispered, sinking his face further into the crook of Nino’s neck. Nino waited a moment until he took Ohno by the shoulders and gently pulled the older man off of him and looked straight into his eyes.  
  
“In all honesty…she probably got scared. If any of our past relationships have shown it’s not necessarily easy to date an idol. She probably got scared of the consequences and decided to leave for your own good.” Nino explained softly. Ohno hadn’t expected him to answer truthfully, he was expected a half assed answer. Although, even though it wasn’t something Ohno wanted to hear, he was grateful for Nino’s honesty. Ohno forced a smile through his tears and hugged Nino once again.  
  
“I’m sorry.” Ohno whispered quietly to Nino, making Nino laughed a bit out loud.  
  
“Baka, what do you have to be sorry for?” Nino asked. He knew that Ohno could be slow sometimes but he didn’t think he was that kind of slow.  
  
“For not returning your feelings.” Ohno answered honestly, glad that in this moment he could be so candid with Nino. Nino didn’t say anything. He just smiled sadly to himself. It was a bittersweet feeling; being in love with someone but urging him to keep his hopes up that the person that they were in love with would come back. _What a crazy, fucked up world_ , Nino thought to himself.  
  
Just then someone opened the door, Nino’s back was still facing it but Ohno opened his eyes to find Jun peeking his head in to the dressing room. He acted as if there was nothing unusual about Ohno with tears in his eyes; clinging tightly to Nino.  
  
“Ohno, you’re up next and then we can get outta here.” He said with an almost bored tone in his voice; or maybe he was just bitter about being the one that had to go and fetch Ohno. Ohno made a noise that could be accepted as an agreement and pulled away from Nino. They made eye contact for a split second before looking away. Jun left the room and it was silent inside once again. The static was thick between the two boys for a moment before Ohno spoke.  
  
“I need to get out there…but…we’re okay?” Ohno asked, looking at Nino with the lost puppy look that made Nino fall for him in the first place. Nino gave him a sweet, tight-lipped smile and a small nod of his head. Ohno smiled and slowly walked past him and out of the room. Nino, left all alone took a deep breath inward and let a single tear roll down his cheek.  
  
That night, at their taping of Shukudai-kun, there wasn’t a lot of tension between the two best friends; or between the five of them as a whole. Although, everyone in the audience could notice the definite difference in the way the two treated each other. Their knees no longer touched each other; Nino no longer snuck secret glances back at Ohno. Everyone could feel the change in them; it hung in the air like a poisonous gas. It stayed like this for a solid three months.  
  
Of course, they got better at hiding their tension and they even went out together at times. Going to bars or to ramen houses to enjoy a meal together; but it still felt guarded. The other members learned to deal with it; they would wait until the two figured things out for themselves.  
  


**Ueno, Taito Ward, Tokyo. September 26th, 2008. 1:37 P.M.**

  
  
Their manager had awarded them the weekend off; which was a rarity. Although they all knew it was because they had their Arashi Around Asia tour coming up and they needed to get as much rest as possible before they headed to China. So with the weekend free, Ohno decided to spend time at his parent’s house. He lay leisurely on his bed, letting his body get used to be in a relaxed state. The past three months had been hard; disciplining himself to not think about Lucy had been a challenge but after about two months it had begun to get easier. He spent more time with his family and with his adopted family, the rest of Arashi. Before he knew it, he had been so knee deep in his work that he could go a whole day without thinking about Lucy.  
  
It was the nights when it was more difficult to keep her from his mind. Their memories would invade his memories and her laughter would echo through his thoughts. Time made all things fade; even just a little.  
  
Ohno was on the brink of falling asleep; struggling to keep his eyes open when he heard his phone ring. He reached over to his side table and picked it up. His caller I.D. recognized the number as Aiba’s cell phone; Ohno contemplated ignoring the call. Most likely Aiba wanted to drag him out for the day, to the Zoo or to the beach and Ohno didn’t feel like being a part of society today. However, something made his thumb push the green button at the top of the key pad and he answered his call.  
  
“Moshi moshi? Aiba-chan?” Ohno said before Aiba had a second to say anything. There was silence for a moment before Aiba’s husky voice came over the receiver.  
  
“I saw Lucy.”  
  
 _to be continued..._


	12. Chapter 12

**Ueno, Taito Ward, Tokyo. September 26th, 2008. 1:37 P.M.**

  
  
_"I saw Lucy."_  
  
Ohno knew he had heard Aiba correctly; there was no way he could have heard him wrong. It was just three simple words. _I saw Lucy_. He never knew that three small words could cause such a stir in him. He almost couldn’t find his voice in that moment; while his fingers clutched his cell phone until his knuckles turned white.  
  
“Wh…Where is she!?” He practically shouted into the phone. His breathing became labored as every time he saw Lucy smile flashed through his mind.  
  
“She’s in Chiba. I was taking a walk with my brother and I saw her crossing the street from Chiba University.” Ohno didn’t even let Aiba continue. He quickly hung up the phone, grabbed his wallet and was out the door. He didn’t even stop to say good-bye to his parents, even though they called behind him in an attempt to get his attention. He got to the train station in record time and headed towards Chiba. His heart was racing violently and he felt as if he couldn’t sit still the entire way there. People on the train along with him looked at him  
  


****************************

  
Nearly forty minutes later, he got off the train in Chiba. He wasn’t incredibly familiar with the area but he knew how to get to the University for the most part. He walked as fast as his legs could take him. He had no care for the world around him; the only thing that was on his mind was getting to Lucy.  
  
From the train it took him nearly twenty long minutes until he stood in front of the entrance of Chiba University. It was then that his stomach started to turn and he started to get a nauseous feeling running through his veins. Just the thought that somewhere inside the building was Lucy made his heart rate shoot up and he could feel a frog in his throat the size of his fist.  
  
He took the first step forward and before he knew it he was inside the building; wandering the corridors. Eventually, he managed to find his way into the Administration office and went to the front desk.  
  
“Uh…hi. I’m looking for a Professor Marshall?” Ohno asked politely to the young lady at the desk. She looked to be about his age, although most likely younger. She looked him in the face and he noticed her eyes bulge a bit; just in that moment Ohno pushed out his jaw slightly, hoping with that she wouldn’t recognize him. Thankfully, she didn’t say anything about who he was and just looked up the name in her computer.  
  
“You’re talking about Lucy Marshall? The English Linguistics Professor?” The young woman asked him and he just nodded quickly. The girl reached into the desk and pulled out a map of the school and gave him simple directions to the English Building on the campus. He thanked her at least four times before he walked hastily out of the building. He looked between his map and the campus in front of him a few times before he headed in what he hoped was the right direction.  
  
After wandering around for a few minutes with a clearly confused look on his face, Ohno found himself in front of a building that was labeled as the English Department. It was a tall; two story building and the size of it almost intimidated Ohno. He walked in and made his way towards the end of the building, where it was said that the lecture halls were located. Every step he took echoed around him and he felt a layer of sweat rising from the skin below his hairline. Finally, he got to room 3104.  
  
He could hear lots of chatting coming from inside, from students he was guessing. He didn’t want to walk in a make a scene in front of all her students; there was no telling how she would react to him then. It was in that moment however, that the door opened and students started to pile out of the classroom. [From what he could see, it was a very angled room, almost in a half dome.](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/27/Curtis_Lecture_Halls_interior_view1_empty_class.jpg) Bleacher like desks were stacked high against the wall. There was another door on the side, beside the last row of seats. He was guessing that was where Lucy came in and out, as there was a sign on the door that said ‘Staff Only’. When all the students finally vacated the classroom, Ohno peered inside.  
  
He could see her petite form erasing all her notes of the chalkboard. He knew it was English, but to him it just looked like perfectly crafted scribbles. He looked around the empty classroom and noticed her tattered leather messenger bag sitting on top of her desk; with piles of paperwork sitting right next to it. He walked in just a step and stopped.  
  
He wondered what he would say to her. _Long time no see_? He knew that wouldn’t go over well. He was seriously wondering what one is supposed to say in a situation like this. _‘Hi. I’m sorry that you had to leave me and your job all because of who I am? Why did you leave? Come back? If you said the word I would leave my life behind in a moment?_ Alright, maybe not the last one; but all he knew what that he wanted this woman back in his life more than anything. It had been a long, hard three months without he smile and all he was concerned with was getting her to come back with him.  
  
He decided it was best not to get too caught up on what he was going to say; just to go down there and explain to her how he truly felt. If she still had feelings for him, then it wouldn’t be a problem would it.  
  
As he took another step into the large lecture hall, he saw the door at the bottom of the classroom open wide and someone walked in. He was tall, taller than Ohno by at least an inch. He had perfectly black, silken hair that swept over his face. He wore a white collared shirt with the sleeves pulled up to his elbows; neatly tucked into the top of his pressed, black slacks. Ohno watched Lucy pause her erasing and turn to give him a wide, toothy smile.  
  
“Fujimaru-kun!” Lucy said, her perfect low voice sounding like music to Ohno’s ears. Except she wasn’t saying his name.  
  
“Fujimaru-kun?” Ohno whispered quietly to himself. He watched as set down her eraser and walked over to him with an expressive bounce in her step. It was as if it all happened in slow motion. This Fujimaru smiled at Lucy as she came closer to him. He watched as the world seemed to slow down right before his eyes as he watched her mouth lift up towards his. Ohno watched as their eyes closed as they settled into a kiss. Lucy and Fujimaru.  
  
As if his body acted on its own, Ohno ran out of the classroom. Not caring if either of the two could hear him. He needed to be as far away from this classroom as possible; he could feel himself becoming sick. The only thing going through his mind was 'Lucy and Fujimaru'.  
  
Lucy and Fujimaru...  
  
 _to be continued..._


	13. Chapter 13

**Yayoi-cho, Inage-ku, Chiba-shi, Chiba. September 26th, 2008. 2:45 P.M.**

  
  
Lucy walked out of her classroom with Fujimaru following close behind. He was carrying her pile of papers that she had to spend her evening looking over and grading before her class the next morning. They were chatting quietly with each other, content in each other’s company. As they approached the admissions desk, they stopped.  
  
“I have to finish up some paper work in the office, but I will call you when I get home, ne?” Lucy said with a smile that was bright and infectious. Fujimaru smiled and nodded his approval as he passed her back her papers and they shared a longing look that was over in only a moment. Lucy began to walk behind the counter of the front desk and Fujimaru walked towards the exit, alone. Lucy shared a greeting with the girl at the front desk, who returned the gesture with a small, knowing smile. Lucy found it odd, but chose not to say anything about it out loud.  
  
She walked into the back room and found her mailbox. She flipped through the endless school notices of all the events about to take place around the campus. As she got to the end of the pile she noticed a small slip of paper fall from in the middle of the mass of papers. With her eyebrows furrowed she bent down to pick it up. It was a simple, short note that stated:  
  
 _“Meet me at[Kashiwanoha Park.](http://lh6.ggpht.com/_WCrTlBVOLuA/R_cfPAHStwI/AAAAAAAAAb0/3WDXe0_6OG0/DSC00920.JPG) 5 P.M.”_  
  
There was no signature; Lucy had no idea who it was from. However, there was a sinking feeling in her stomach that told her who it was from, but she refused to let herself believe it. There was no way that he could have tracked her down here; plus, would he even want to see her after what she did to him? There was no way. Although Lucy needed to be sure. She checked her watch and saw that it was nearly three o’clock; she still had some time until she would head over to park. Which was good for her, she had time to work on grading her papers and also to mentally prepare herself for what was coming next.  
  
The cool winds of the fall evenings were already beginning to settle in for the night when Lucy finally left the school and made her way towards Kashiwanoha Park. She dropped her stack of papers in the passenger side of her car and pulled her sweater tighter around herself. She started her car and drove towards her fate. It took her only minutes to get to the park, where she parked her car and got out. Leaving everything she had inside her car, only keeping her sweater tight around her. She walked down the path, looking amongst the trees to try and find who called her out here. She felt like she had already been walking for close to ten minutes before she noticed a figure sitting alone on a bench. He was looking out towards the lake, watching the geese flock from left to right throughout the calm water. She stood looking at him for a few long moments until she finally took a long, deep breath and walked towards the bench.  
  
“Ano~” She said as she stood uncomfortably behind the man on the bench. Nervous for him to turn around and show himself to her. There was no mistaking him as she walked closer to the bench; she could recognize him alone in a crowd of thousands. It was in this moment; it seemed that the wind began to pick up, tossing her hair in intricate tendrils around her face. The man stood and turned around and it was as she feared. She was now face to face again with Ohno Satoshi. He smiled tenderly at her, but she could tell that he was just as nervous as she.  
  
“Ohisashiburi.” He said quietly and she couldn’t help but smile. Thoughts were raging inside her head as she was sure that was a war going on inside his as well. She was glad to see him in a way but also scared at his sudden re-arrival.  
  
“Oh-chan.” Lucy whispered gently. Ohno smiled at her use of such an affectionate nick name. There they stood, the sun just beginning to set over the lake behind them.  
  
“I’m sorry to just suddenly pop up like this…it’s just that…” Ohno started and stopped again. Taking a step closer to Lucy, glad in that fact that she didn’t step away from him. Both of them were both so awe struck in the presence of each other; which caused each of them to be incredibly nervous.  
  
“How did you know I was in Chiba?” Lucy asked, it sounded more unwelcome that she would have liked. Ohno stopped walking towards her and suddenly looked slightly panic stricken. He tone of voice threw him off guard, she sounded almost angry with him.  
  
“Aiba. We have the day off so he was in town. He saw you, at the school.” Ohno explained; making it very clear that he hadn’t done it on his own. Lucy looked almost relieved by his answer. Ohno stuffed his chilling hands into the front pockets of his jeans as he stared at Lucy.  
  
“You look great.” He said, smiling a bit as he watched the blush creep onto her lips. He wondered why it had to be like this. If it hadn’t been for Haruko and her jealousy they would still be in Tokyo, clinging to each other in the warmth of his bed.  
  
“Thanks, you do too.” Lucy said as she looked him up and down. It had been a nearly hollow statement; she didn’t think he looked good. He looked more gorgeous to her than he ever had before. Never had the saying ‘absence makes the heart grow fonder’ ever proved to be more true. She wished for a moment that she could take everything back; leaving Tokyo without a word, letting herself drop out of Ohno’s life like she had never been there.  
  
Suddenly there was an awkward silence between the two former lovers; and Lucy knew that it hadn’t originated on her part. She could see that Ohno had words on the tip of his tongue that he was fighting himself to keep inside.  
  
“If there is something you want you say, just say it.” Lucy said, folding her arms tighter across her chest; trying to hide the fact that she was cold. Ohno looked hesitant for a moment before he let his tongue slip.  
  
“Fujimaru, huh?” He asked, a hurt smile overcoming him. Lucy took a step back, her mouth slack and her eyes wide. Her mind was moving a mile a minute as she thought of how Ohno could possibly know about Fujimaru.  
  
“How?” Was all that Lucy could say; her brain couldn’t form complete sentences at the moment.  
  
“After Aiba told me that you were at the University, I came over right away. I found where you were teaching and went inside. But you were there…with him. I saw you kiss him.” Ohno spoke, painfully. He was scared to look into her eyes; he didn’t want her to see all the pent up emotions of the past three months that had completely broken open when he saw them together. There was silence between the two of them now, neither knowing how to proceed.  
  
Slowly, Ohno stepped forward towards Lucy and this time she didn’t move away. No matter how much her mind was screaming at her to walk away, she couldn’t. Ohno had always had this kind of hold on her, since the first moment she met him on the train. Everything about him felt new and old all at the same time, like they were destined to be in each other’s lives; be it for better or for worse.  
  
She could see the setting sun gleaming off of his tear stained cheeks and she wanted nothing more than to hold him; just as he wanted to hold her. She wanted to let the warmth of his arms engulf her and protect her from the winds; but there was a tiny spark in the back of her mind that told her that it couldn’t be so. Just as Ohno’s trembling hand reached up and brushed her cheek, she spoke.  
  
“He’s a good man.” She said strongly, not allowing her voice to quiver or break. She looked up into his amber eyes that she had memorized and learned to love more than anything. She watched as another tear slipped down his cheek and she wanted nothing more than wipe it away for him. She looked down at his lips, shaking but still all at the same time. Lucy stepped away from him, out of the danger zone.  
  
“He’s a good man, and I can’t do this to him.” She said again as she began to back up, out of Ohno’s reach. Ohno watched her as she kept taking calculated paces away from him. Before long, she turned around and had begun to walk away from him. The only thing he could think to do was shout; was to raise his voice as loud as it could go to try and make her stay. It was his own way of being forceful.  
  
“Lucy!” He yelled and she stopped walking for a moment; causing anxious butterflies to flutter around in Ohno’s stomach. He sighed heavily and then took another breath. This time he didn’t shout, but he spoke loud enough for her heart to hear.  
  
“We can’t end it like this.” Ohno said, desperately. He watched Lucy’s still back for what seemed like ages, although it was only a few seconds until she started to walk away again. After a moment, her walk turned into a run. She was running away from him. Ohno watched her until he couldn’t see her anymore; then he pathetically collapsed on the bench beside him.  
  
Lucy felt like she couldn’t run any faster; it seemed like it took her ages to get to her car. She couldn’t believe the self control that she had just used the whole time she had been in his presence. Everything about him made her heart ache and she wanted nothing more than to take him in her arms and let the world melt away. She couldn’t, however, betray Fujimaru in that way. He had been there for her when she needed to build herself back up from the collapse of her relationship with Ohno. She couldn’t break his heart.  
  
Once she reached her car, she got into the drivers seat and immediately turned on the ignition. Sadly, she couldn’t see the road clearly in front of her as her tears decided to fall just then. Once they started she couldn’t stop them. She just sat miserably in her car, crying for the man who was sitting alone on a park bench.


	14. Chapter 14

Lucy drove slowly back to her small apartment. She walked in a immediately, as if she couldn’t stop herself, let more tears fall. She didn’t feel comfortable in her new apartment; it wasn’t broken in like the previous one had been. Besides the fact that a lot of her stuff had been abandoned at her old apartment in her hurry to leave town, so the new apartment seemed bare. She thought over her day, the things that had happened to her seemed like they came all at once. The only thing she wanted to do in this moment was climb under rock and hide from the rest of the world.  
  
Lucy was shaken out of her sad thoughts by the sound of her cell phone ringing in her purse. She dug through it quickly until she found it and checked the caller I.D. It was Fujimaru.  
  
“Moshi moshi? Fujimaru-kun?” She asked, trying to mask the ache in her throat from having just been crying.  
  
“Are you at home?” Fujimaru asked, she could hear his anxious smile in his voice and it admittedly made her break into a smile herself. Despite her eyes stinging with continuous tears and her throat felt like it had just been run through gravel.  
  
“Hai. Come over?” Lucy muttered into the telephone.  
  
“Give me twenty minutes. I’ll see you soon.” Fujimaru said before hanging up the phone. Once Lucy hung up as well, she tossed the phone haphazardly onto her couch and walked down the hall to her bathroom. She switched on the overhead light and looked at herself in the mirror. Her skin looked pale and sickly underneath the harsh light; tears stains shamefully marking her face. She wiped them away but still couldn’t stop new ones from pouring out. She wanted nothing more than to move on with her life, to be happy with Fujimaru. He was a sweet man, never asked any hard questions and was always willing to give her a hand if she ever needed one.  
  
It had been a hard transition from Tokyo to Chiba, there was a much bigger ‘small town’ feel to everything around her. Everyone greeted her with a smile when she walked by and were willing to help her out if she needed a hand with anything. She had been so pressured and worried about starting at a new school; every new face that she saw made her more and more nervous. She had met Fujimaru during her first day at Chiba University. She had just gotten accustomed to the lecture hall, basically playing catch up during her first class; getting the hang of the rhythm of the students. As all of her students began to exit the lecture hall, Lucy watched as a very professional looking man walked in. She watched his every movement as he skillfully walked down the stairs and towards her desk. Just as he was about to arrive at his destination, he fumbled and tripped over his feet. Thankfully, he was able to catch himself before he fell into Lucy; causing her to bust out in laughter. He looked up at her with a wide, toothy grin.  
  
“I’m glad you already think I’m funny.” He said with a slight hint of laughter in his voice. Lucy tried her best to contain her continuing laughter, but it was almost too difficult.  
  
“I heard that we got a new English Language Professor so I wanted to come introduce myself. I’m Takeru Fujimaru, I’m the Linguistics Professor; my classroom is right next door.” He said with a mesmerizing smile, offering her his hand. She shook it with a wide smile while she looked up into his eyes sparkling eyes.  
  
From then on, Fujimaru would meet up with Lucy after her lectures were done and they would enjoy each other’s company over lunch. It was nice for Lucy; it took her mind off of everything that she left behind in Tokyo. They talked about everything; she even told him that she left Tokyo because of a man. Of course, she didn’t go into specifics like ‘because he’s Ohno Satoshi from Arashi and I couldn’t handle it’ or ‘because there was a woman who threatened me and sold pictures of him and I together to tabloids’. She knew that Fujimaru could live without hearing these details. Eventually their mutual friendship turns into mutual romantic feelings; it was easy and it was safe. They began dating nearly two months after Lucy had relocated to Chiba, and for the first time in a long time Lucy was happy. She could go a day without thinking about everything that had happened in Tokyo. Although Ohno’s face would still seep into her mind; whenever she walked past a record shop and his CD advertisements were plastered to the wall. When she would walk through the subway station and his face adorned AU posters. It was times like these when she would sink back into herself and crawl into a cave. Fujimaru never asked invasive questions when she got like this, he would just sit with her on her couch for hours on end; in silence. Lucy had worried day in and day out that she would always be like this; happy on the outside but longing for Ohno on the inside. It didn’t seem fair to Fujimaru, but she Lucy had always assumed that her pent up feelings for Ohno would eventually fade in time.  
  
And yet, here she was three months later and she was in shambles, only because she had talked to him for at most ten minutes. Lucy looked up into her bloodshot green eyes in the mirror once again, before diligently wiping away her tears. Fujimaru would be in there soon, and she didn’t want to worry him. He sounded like he was in such a good mood on the phone. After she wiped her tears away, she covered up the redness and around her eyes with some concealer and combed her fingers quickly through her hair. Just as she was walking out her bathroom, she heard a quiet knock at her front door. She did one more once over of her appearance before straightening her clothing and walking to the door.  
  
When she opened it, she was greeted with the steady smile that she had grown to appreciate. She led him in to her apartment, watching as he took off his shoes and replaced them with a pair of black house slippers. He had brought with him what seemed to be a plastic bag filled with different convenient store bento’s and a few bottles of milk tea. Lucy smiled to herself as she led him into the kitchen/dining room area of her apartment. Fujimaru set the bag down on the counter and started taking things out one by one.  
  
“I hope you don’t mind, but they are both pork katsu and rice…” Fujimaru stated simply, giving a worried glace over to Lucy. She just smiled and shook her head at him; he knew that pork katsu was one of hers favorites. She watched him as he cleaned two pairs of chopsticks that he found in the drawer by the sink and she found herself having to fight back her emotions again. She remembered the way that Ohno looked when he ate ramen, or mostly how he looked when he watched her eat ramen. The look on his face when he walked out of the sweet shop and handed her some Daifuku, her favorite that he didn’t know about at the time. She had to shake the thoughts out of her head as she noticed Fujimaru looking at her with a worried expression. She tried her best to fake a smile for his sake.  
  
“Is there something wrong?” He asked, abandoning the chopsticks on the counter and walking closer to her. Her lower back pressed against the cool tiles of the counter, he stood in front of her; letting his fingers tug at the tattered edges of her old black concert t-shirt. She smiled at him again, even though it was difficult for her.  
  
“Everything’s fine.” She said simply as she moved away from him. She walked over to their bento’s and began to unwrap them.  
  
“Do you want yours heated up?” Lucy asked, swiftly changing the subject away from her mood swings. Fujimaru seemed stunned for a moment before he snapped out of himself and smiled at her. He was used to this of course.  
  
“No thanks, I’m fine with it cold.” He said as he walked over to the refrigerator to get some ice for their milk tea. He looked at the door and noticed the newspaper clipping that caught his eye every time he came over. He recognized the person in the article of course; there wasn’t a person in Japan who wouldn’t recognize him; although Fujimaru wasn’t one for pop culture icons. He always wondered why Lucy had the clipping on her refrigerator; this and nothing else.  
  
“Ne, Lucy?” Fujimaru started, not letting his eyes drift away from the clipping. He could hear Lucy stop what she was doing and turn to him. Lucy could see what he was looking at; she often caught him looking at the clipping when they were together in the kitchen. Something in her heart began to speed up as she looked from Fujimaru to the newspaper clipping that had once again caught his attention.  
  
“How come you have this clipping on your refrigerator?” Fujimaru asked, before he turned and looked back at Lucy. He could see the slight panic in her face, which covered her pale face in a layer of blush red. She fidgeted with the thin material of her shirt, looking between the man in front of her and the clipping from her past.  
  
“No real reason.” Lucy said as she quickly turned away and brought her attention back to her bento.  
  
“Are you a fan of his?” Fujimaru asked as he walked back to the counter with two cups of ice for their milk tea. He watched as Lucy picked at her food with her chopsticks, only eating small amounts of rice at a time. When he was at her side, she looked up at him with a blank expression.  
  
“Not really.” She answered; although he brain was screaming at her; she was probably his biggest fan. Fujimaru gave her a look that she could only tell was confusion; but there was probably a bit of anger in there somewhere as well. Lucy was sure that he could tell that she was lying; or at least stretching the truth.  
  
“Then why do you have it?” Fujimaru pressed. Lucy knew he wasn’t trying to be mean, but an interrogation was the last thing she needed right now. She swallowed a bite of rice and looked back up to him; sighing.  
  
“I went to his art exhibit earlier this year and I dunno…I was impressed.” Lucy said finally, recalling the day that she had met up with Ohno at his art exhibit. It had been later that night when she had gone back to his apartment after she had dropped him off. She closed her eyes for a moment and all the memories of that night rushed back through her head.  
  
 _His cold hands pressing her further into his bed. The sheets getting tangled further around their naked limbs. She could feel his breath all around her and it was intoxicating. Her fingernails curled further into his hair, pulling it from its follicles. Every time her nails scratched into his skin he would moan her name; sinking further and further into each other._  
  
“Are you listening to me?” Fujimaru’s voice broke Lucy out of her memories. She looked up at him and he was looking at her; a slightly annoyed expression on his face.  
  
“I’m sorry, what did you say?” Lucy asked, feeling embarrassed that she had zoned out in front of him. Fujimaru ignored it and turned back to pouring his tea into his glass.  
  
“I said it’s kinda self indulgent don’t you think?” Fujimaru asked as he passed Lucy her glass of tea. When he caught her confused expression, he continued on. “I mean, the guy is already wealthy from being an idol, he already has all the fans he could want. Is it really necessary for him to have an art exhibit dedicated to his so-called artwork?” Lucy was immediately offended. She had enjoyed every bit of Ohno’s artwork and even though she knew who he was while she was there; she never thought of it as self indulgent. Art was his passion and he was following it in the best way an artist can. He gave his fans a glimpse of the real him.  
  
When Fujimaru looked back at Lucy, awaiting her answer to his question; he saw the obvious upset look on her face. He didn’t understand how something like insulting an idol could upset her so much but he still did feel bad about it. He sighed and put his arm around her waist; pulling her closer to him.  
  
“Let’s just…stop talking about this, ne?” He asked and Lucy promptly nodded. He smiled at her and they continued to eat their bentos together. Although, Lucy wasn’t completely there for the rest of the night; if Fujimaru noticed, he didn’t say anything. It was nearly 11:30 P.M. before Fujimaru said that he should get going. It was for the best of course, Lucy still had a mountain of papers to start looking through. Once he left, Lucy was once again alone in her thoughts; she tried her best to block Ohno from her mind for the time being. She had work to do.  
  
Ohno woke up to the sun shining in through the window of the living room in Aiba’s parent’s house. He had been out too late the night before and missed the last train back to Tokyo; the only option was for him to crash at Aiba’s parent’s house. A few moments later he heard footsteps coming down the hall, and Aiba  
presented himself, fully dressed and ready to go. Dropping his full duffle bag down beside the front door.  
  
“Ohayou Riida. You better get dressed; the van will be here in a few minutes. We are going to swing by your apartment to pack some things before we have to be a Narita Airport.” Aiba said, smiling a bit before going into the kitchen to get some water. Ohno took a deep breath to steady himself and clear his mind, before he sat up and decided to get dressed.  
  
Nearly an hour and a half later, Ohno stepped out the van with Aiba, they’re luggage in toe; ready and prepared for their trip to Korea. Ohno always both dreaded and looked forward to their AAA tour. It was an amazing experience to be able to perform in another country; but it was nonstop for a whole week. Korea, China and Japan. With the stress of everything he had been through with Lucy on his shoulders, he hoped he could make it through unscarred.  
  
He could see the rest of the members waiting for them in airport lobby as they waited to be boarded. Ohno suddenly felt the vibration from his phone in his back pocket. He pulled it out and unexpectedly stood frozen as he looked at the caller I.D. Four letters blinked back at him as if in mockery. Lucy. He hesitated for a moment, wondering if it would be worth it to answer or if he should just ignore the call and go to his band mates; who were waiting. After a second of silent deliberation, he clicked the green button and brought the phone up to his ear.  
  
“Moshi moshi?’ Ohno said quietly into the phone. For a moment it was silent and he wondered if maybe she had dialed him by accident. His eye brows were furrowed together and he hung onto every click of static that played over the receiver.  
  
“Oh-chan?” He heard her pleasant low voice over the phone. He gave a sigh of relief that he didn’t realize that he had held in. He let his heart calm its rapid beating for a moment before he spoke.  
  
“Lucy? What’s going on?” He asked. He had no idea why she was calling him; she had obviously chosen Fujimaru over him last night. There really shouldn’t be anything left to say.  
  
“I still have my newspaper clipping of you on my fridge.” She said quietly. It’s was such an open statement that Ohno could feel himself rolling his eyes. He didn’t want to have to deal with this before getting on a plane and leaving the country for a few days. This wasn’t going to help him at all.  
  
“What does that mean?” Ohno asked in his frustration. He wasn’t speaking loudly at all, far from yelling at her; but he still felt bad for being rude to her.  
  
“I thought I would just move away and get over you. If it's so easy then why can’t I throw away one silly newspaper clipping?” Lucy said out. Ohno couldn’t take it anymore, his heart was close to aching and he wanted nothing more than to hang up the phone.  
  
“Listen Lucy, I’m about to get on a plane to Korea. I really don’t have time for –“ Ohno began and was quickly cut off by Lucy.  
  
“I’m in love with you.”  
  
 _to be continued..._


	15. Chapter 15

**Narita Airport, Tokyo. September 27th, 2008. 10:31 A.M.**

****  
  
_“I’m in love with you.”_  
  
Ohno felt like he was staring into nothing for what could have been a good few minutes. Just those few words; those five words had him rendered speechless. As much as he wanted to here those words; when he finally did hear them, all he wanted were to make them disappear. She had chosen the most inopportune moment to tell him that she was in love with him. He had his four band mates watching him from the airport lobby; their bags packed and ready to go to Korea. Finally, he was able to catch his breath for long enough to utter words into his cell phone.  
  
“You what?” He asked, slightly harsh but considering the situation he didn’t think twice about his tone.  
  
“I was just looking at the newspaper clipping and before I knew it I realized why I couldn’t just get rid of it. It’s because I’m in love with you.” Lucy muttered into the receiver. He could hear the slight trembling in her voice and he imagined tears brimming on the edge of her eyelids. Part of him wanted nothing more than to run out of the airport and jump in a cab to Chiba; but the other side of him was boiling with anger.  
  
“Lucy, you know I have an obligation to my job. I can’t deal with this right now.” Ohno said into the phone and it took all of his self control not to immediately apologize to her. He waited for a moment for her to speak but he could only hear her uneven breathing.  
  
“Look, I have to go. The guys are waiting.” He spoke softly before he hit the glowing red button on his phone. He looked at the glowing screen on his phone telling him ‘call ended’ and watched as his hands trembled. He couldn’t believe he had the will power to hang up on her. It’s something that both elated him and made him incredibly scared. Although, in this moment all he had to push him forward was the prospect of running after her when he was finally back in Japan. It seemed like it would be forever until then, and he hadn’t even left yet.  
  
Ohno stuffed his cell phone back in his pocket and walked towards his band mates. He sat down next to Nino who was looking at him with a concerned expression.  
  
“Who was that?” Nino asked, looking for the faintest hint of hurt of Ohno’s face but Ohno just looked at him with a broken smile.  
  
“It was just my mom.” Ohno said with a smile in his voice.  
  
“Is everything alright?” Nino asked.  
  
“It will be.” Ohno answered before looking away from Nino’s knowing gaze. Nino knew when Ohno was lying, after years of friendship and love he had become used to the way Ohno looked when he was lying. Although, he decided it was best to ignore it for now; he just let Ohno lose himself while watching passers-by.

  
  
Lucy sat pathetically on her kitchen floor, the cool tiles sending shivers through her bare legs. She held her cell phone in her hands, frozen from the conversation that had just taken place. She had finally confessed to Ohno, telling him that she loved him. Something she had never said to anyone before and he had hung up on her. Of course, she didn’t expect anything less from him; he had an obligation to his career and his friends and she didn’t want him to think that she was more important than that. However, she hadn’t expected him to be so abrupt with her. Lucy looked up from her position on the floor and gazed at the article about Ohno that was pinned to her fridge. She wondered how such a simple thing can make her experience such a huge epiphany. It was one thing to like someone, but to realize that you have been in love with them the entire time you’ve been running from them; it was such a huge revelation.  
  
Lucy could feel the tears coming and she tried to fight them with everything she had. She didn’t want to cry over Ohno anymore. She knew she had to try her best to get over it completely and move on. To be happy with Fujimaru and appreciate him the way he deserved to be appreciated. It was in that moment that her cell phone began to ring and she scolded herself for letting Ohno’s face break into her mind, even for a split second. She clicked the green button on her cell phone and did her best impression of a happy person.  
  
“Moshi moshi? Fujimaru?” She asked. It almost hurt her to have to smile so fake; but she was doing it for Fujimaru’s sake. She kept her eyes on the image of a smiling Ohno on her fridge as she heard Fujimaru’s voice come through the phone.  
  
“Are you free tonight?” He asked, he had a slight worried tone to his voice but Lucy thought nothing of it. She was still trying her hardest to pull her eyes away from Ohno’s constant smiling face. Her mind raced as she thought through her plans for the rest of the day.  
  
“Uh…yeah. I don’t have anything to do today.” She said, although wishing she could just wrap herself in her comforter and sleep away the rest of the day. She wanted to be absent from the world but there was a thread in her mind that was keeping her from doing so. A small laugh came from the other end of the phone line and it made her mind break away from thoughts of Ohno. She looked away from the fridge and let the image of Ohno leave her eyes.  
  
“My parents have invited us over for dinner.” Fujimaru said nonchalantly. It took Lucy a moment to fully realize what he had said.  
  
“Wait…what?” Lucy said as she stood up suddenly and felt an increasing urge to pace around her tiny apartment. Panic started to set in as she realized the full weight of what Fujimaru had just said.  
  
“I was telling my parents about you and my mother said to bring you over for dinner. Tonight." Fujimaru explained a bit more. At this point, Lucy was starting to feel her nervousness set in. Her stomach felt uneasy and her breathing became a bit labored. In all honesty, she wasn’t ready to meet his parents, especially not after everything that she had realized last night. Although she knew she had made a conscious decision to try her best in her relationship with Fujimaru that didn’t mean she should immediately jump into meeting his parents.  
  
“Are you sure that’s such a great idea?” Lucy asked him as kindly as she could. She heard Fujimaru laugh again and she wondered how he could be so calm.  
  
“Hai, hai. Daijoubu. I’ll be at your place to pick you up at six.” Fujimaru said, and before Lucy had time to protest again, he hung up. Lucy stood there, stunned for a moment. She didn’t know what to do or what to think, she was frozen. After a few minutes went by she finally realized that she had to find something suitable to wear in front of Fujimaru’s parents. She ran into the bedroom to begin her search.  
  
 ****

**Inage-ku, Chiba-shi, Chiba. September 27th, 2008. 6:45 P.M.**

****  
  
Lucy stood in front of the massive closed[gate](http://www.yougendo.com/facilities/img/e_gate_l.jpg) that enclosed the massive [Japanese style home](http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f354/me2nour/Japanese20Gardens2066.jpg); Fujimaru at her side. He could feel the nervousness washing off her in waves but he didn’t know how to calm her. She had opted against wearing a dress or a skirt and instead wore a pair of plain black slacks, like the kind she wore to work. She wanted to seem like a professional and hard working young woman in front of his parents. Fujimaru rang the buzzer on the outside of the gate and waited for either his mother or his father to buzz them in.  
  
Only five minutes later they were completely inside the house, taking their shoes off in the [genkan](http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3003/2564143889_2ee5b45d9e.jpg) and slipping into the multi-colored house slippers that had been left for them there. It seemed as if just as Lucy had stepped into the house, Fujimaru’s parents were immediately in front of them. His father looked like a strong and stern man with an unbreakable face like stone. However, the moment he laid eyes on Lucy an unexpected smile burst across his face, lighting up his entire domineering appearance. It made it easy to smile back at him; she felt the butterflies in her stomach subside for a moment. That is, until she crossed gazes with Fujimaru’s mother. It wasn’t that she wasn’t smiling or that she looked evil. She, in fact, was smiling; but a look passed through her eyes that scared Lucy and sent shivers up her arms. However, it was only for a fleeting moment before it replaced with a smile and a kind greeting. For a minute moment, Lucy wondered what it would have been like to meet Ohno’s parents but she quickly whipped the thought away. She smiled and bowed and did everything necessary to seem like the best girlfriend for Fujimaru’s parents.  
  
The dinner had been going smoothly; she had been answering Mr. Takeru’s questions about her career and her plans for the future. He had been very impressed with the fact that Lucy had permanently moved to Japan to be a Professor. She was glad that his parents seemed to approve of her so readily. Halfway through the meal, Mrs. Takeru stood for a moment and smoothed out the wrinkles in her shin length black skirt.  
  
“I’m going to get another pot of tea for everyone.” She said with a smile. She walked away from the table and out of the room for a moment before she peeked her head back around the corner a second later.  
  
“Lucy, come help me in the kitchen.” She said, it wasn’t a question. Although Lucy was caught off guard she still was able to mutter a quiet ‘hai!’ and stand to follow Mrs. Takeru into their large kitchen. Lucy was asked to get some water into a pot to boil while she grabbed some tea bags out of the pantry. Lucy did as she was told and as she stood over the pot, watching tiny air bubbles flutter up to the top she heard Mrs. Takeru come up beside her.  
  
“Lucy, I'd like to speak candidly with you…if that’s alright.” Mrs. Takeru said as she prepared the tea bags for the tea. She was unexpectedly calm and something about the tone of her voice worried Lucy.  
  
“Hai.” Was all that Lucy managed to murmur. She took her eyes off of the boiling water and watched Fujimaru’s mother with a weary eye.  
  
“After tonight…” She began, looking up to meet Lucy’s waiting eyes so that Lucy could hear the words that she said next with perfect clarity.  
  
“…I don’t want you to see Fujimaru again.”  
  
 _to be continued..._


	16. Chapter 16

Lucy stood in the emptiness of her apartment, tears rolling down her cheeks; gravel and blood clinging to the palms of her hands. She had never felt more embarrassed in her whole life. She let her messenger bag fall to floor by her feet before she sunk to the ground. She didn’t know where to lay the blame this time; the most likely candidate was herself. She never could have thought something like this could happen. It all seemed too convenient. Lucy again thought over the events of the evening.  
  
 _“I don’t want you to see Fujimaru again.” Mrs. Takeru whispered in a calm voice that terrified Lucy because it was so soothing.  
  
“What?” Lucy couldn’t believe her ears; she didn’t want to believe them. She wanted to think that this was all an elaborate joke. However, there was something in the mother’s voice that told Lucy that she wasn’t joking. She wasn’t going to burst into laughter at any moment.  
  
“I know who you are and I could make a pretty good guess as to why you moved to Chiba.” Mrs. Takeru spoke again.  
  
“I don’t understand. How do you know who I am?” Lucy asked, confusion and anxiety rushing through her mind more and more by the second. Mrs. Takeru just smiled back at her.  
  
“You were in the tabloids not too long ago, ne? Making life awfully hard for that idol.” She spoke slowly, making sure that Lucy heard every word that she said. Lucy moreover couldn’t believe her ears; of course it all came back to Ohno. She didn’t think that there could be any way that Fujimaru’s mother could recognize her from one tabloid photograph.  
  
“I pity that man…and I’m not about to do the same for my son. He deserves better than some celebrity-chasing-floozy who tries to pass herself off as a college professor.” Mrs. Takeru continued to criticize Lucy; who was slowly beginning to lose her cool. There was only so much she could take before she would begin to break.  
  
“Do you understand what I’m saying?” Fujimaru’s mother asked, putting on a show of faux kindness after all that she had just said. Lucy felt a tightness in her throat and she nodded her head; not trusting her voice to speak at that moment. Suddenly she walked out of the kitchen, back to the table where Fujimaru and his father were patiently waiting for their tea; making general chat with each other as they ate their homely meal.  
  
“Sumimasen.” Lucy said as she entered the room. Fujimaru looked up at her with a smile but it was immediately replaced by a look of worry when he saw the slight panic on Lucy’s face. The tears were beginning to threaten to spill over her eyelids as Fujimaru stood quietly from the table.  
  
“Lucy-chan, what’s wrong?” Fujimaru asked as he took a step towards his girlfriend to comfort her when she took a step back; away from him and his warm embrace.  
  
“Gomen nasai…something important has come up. I really have to go.” She said as she looked up into Fujimaru’s confused eyes. Without another second to spare she bowed apologetically before sprinting towards the front door. Putting her shoes on in record time and she bolted out the door. The fresh night air meeting her flushed cheeks with a swift gust of wind. Fujimaru was left standing in a daze, staring at the space that Lucy had just been standing at. Seconds later a voice broke him out of his trance.  
  
“Huh…where’s Lucy?” Mrs. Takeru asked as she stood at the entrance of the room; holding a newly brewed pot of tea and four cups.  
  
Lucy ran as fast as she could through the busy streets of Chiba. Just as she was rounding a corner, she tripped over a break in the pavement and tumbled onto the ground. She lay, unmoving on the street for a long while, letting herself cry. A piercing pain through her hands and when she lifted them to look at them, she saw that both had been badly cut up while she tried to break her fall. At the sight of her own blood, Lucy began to cry harder. Most of her silent cries now turned to sobs._  
  
Lucy was now scared and alone in her apartment; body trembling and her mind racing. The only thing passing through her head was how much she wished she could be wrapped up in Ohno’s arms in this very moment. Wishes she could feel his long fingers curling into her brown hair, whispering comfort into her ears.  
  
She stood and dragged her feet through the apartment until she came to her bedroom. She collapsed onto her bed as the tears continued to fall. She lazily kicked off her shoes and pulled her thick comforter over her body; burying her face in her pillows. She closed her eyes for a moment, hoping that she could fall asleep and everything would be okay in the morning.  
  
Just as she was on the verge of unconsciousness, she felt her phone vibrating in her back pocket. She thought that it must have been Fujimaru calling so that he could desperately ask what the hell had happened back at his parent’s house. He would be demanding answers to questions that she wasn’t ready to hear. She carefully reached under her blanket towards her back pocket, careful not to hurt the palms of her hands even more. When she finally got the cell phone out of her pocket, she looked at the caller I.D.  
  
“RESTRICED NUMBER.” It said in big, bold letters on her cell phone screen. She was hesitant to answer for a moment but eventually she gave in. The moment she clicked into the call, she could hear a calm, soothing voice over the other end of the line. A voice, singing.  
  
“Moshi moooooosh.” She called into the receiver but the voice didn’t stop singing. Once she resigned herself to listening; her tired mind finally caught up to her. She sat up in bed suddenly, the weight of what she was hearing finally dawning on her. She listened to the comforting voice sing his song as she unconsciously whispered his name into the receiver several times.  
  
“どこにいても, どんなときでも, 同じ空, 見上げて. 光集め, 届けたいから. いつまでも. 儚い情熱の影, 忘れたくはない.”* The singing stopped and there was a long silence over the phone. Lucy was holding her breath without even realizing it. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity; he spoke.  
  
“I miss you.” he whispered into the phone. It was words that that Lucy had been longing to hear and now that she was hearing them, she almost couldn’t believe that it was real. A stray tear made it way down her cheek just when she thought she couldn’t cry anymore. But she was smiling; it had seemed like it had been so long since the last time she had honestly cried.  
  
“I miss you too.” Lucy admitted; she lay back down against her pillows. Her cell phone constantly pressed to her ear. A part of her was so happy that he had decided to call her tonight of all nights. It was almost as if he understood from all the way across the Sea of Japan that she needed to hear his voice.  
  
“How’s Korea?” Lucy asked, trying to keep the mood light. She didn’t want them to run out of things to say; she could be on the phone with him forever if time would allow them.  
  
“It’s hot! I’m in the lobby of the hotel right now.” Ohno complained, his voice sounded so vivid that Lucy could imagine perfectly the way his nose scrunched up and his eyes shut tight. They stayed on the phone like this hours into the early morning. They talked endlessly about his Asia tour and he asked her a lot about her work at the University. Although Lucy had noticed that he deliberately avoided any questions that could lead to them having to talk about Fujimaru; Lucy was grateful for it. After everything that she went though tonight at Fujimaru’s parents house, the last thing that Lucy wanted to do was think about it or talk about it with Ohno. The last thing that Lucy remembers about their conversation was asking Ohno what his favorite thing about Korea was. Before she got to hear his answer, sleep took over.  
  
Lucy was woken up by the sunlight beaming into her eyes the next morning. The first thing she noticed when she opened her eyes was her cell phone lying on top of her comforter. She had fallen asleep while talking to Ohno on the phone all night. She opened her call log and saw that their conversation had lasted close to four hours and it brought a gigantic smile to her face. She knew that talking on the phone with him all night was the first step in a long process of patching things back together to the way they had been before.  
  
There was nothing more that she would have wanted in that moment than to stay in bed all day and think about their conversations; about the way his laughter had made her blush last night or about the way he sounded when he mumbled into the receiver. There was, however, a loud knock at her front door. As Lucy stood up from her bed she realized that she was still wearing the same clothes that she had been the night before. It made her slightly embarrassed so she threw on a black sweater and walked to the front door.  
  
She opened it and wasn’t surprised to find Fujimaru standing right in front of her; his face looked sullen. Like he had gotten hardly any sleep last night. At the sight of him, Lucy cowered a bit; remembering the words of his mother.  
  
“Fujimaru, what are you doing here?” She asked quietly as Fujimaru rudely invited himself in. Lucy watched him with wide eyes as he kicked off his shoes and walked into the interior of the apartment; his face stone cold. Lucy watched him closely, looking for any kind of reaction from him; but he didn’t let any slide out from under the stone exterior that he had built. He reached into his suitcase he had been carrying with him and pulled out what looked like a thin magazine. Lucy walked over to where he was standing, beside her dining room table and watched him as he seemed to gaze at the cover of the magazine for a moment before slamming it down on the table. The sound of it hitting the wooden table echoed through the air between them as Lucy gazed at the picture of the cover of the magazine. It was herself and Ohno embracing in the hall of her old apartment complex. It was a photograph that just wouldn’t stop haunting her wherever she went.  
  
 _to be continued..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: * : "Wherever, whenever, Look up at the same sky. Because I want to deliver the gathering light forever. The shadow of fleeting passion, I'd never like to forget it." -Ohno Satoshi (Take Me Far Away)


	17. Chapter 17

Lucy looked at the cover of the magazine for a long time before she dared look up at Fujimaru. He was also staring at the picture; the picture of his girlfriend in the arms of another man. Although it wasn’t just any man, it was an extremely famous man. One that every woman in the whole country knew his name, knew the songs that he sang and admired him.  
  
“I thought you said…that you weren’t a fan of his.” Fujimaru spoke in an incredibly even tone as his pained eyes danced across the photograph. Lucy could tell he was trying with all of his strength not to blow up and yell at her. She was thankful for his efforts but she still wanted nothing more than to run away in this moment. She folded her arms protectively in front of her chest as she took a deep breath.  
  
“I…I wasn’t-“Lucy was cut off by Fujimaru’s indignant laughter.  
  
“You weren’t his fan…you were just…romantically involved…” He spoke sadly; Lucy could hear the hurt in his voice. She didn’t know what to do or say, this wasn’t how she wanted him to find out. She knew already without having to ask how he could have found out about her and Ohno’s past; it could have only been Fujimaru’s mother. Something inside her wished that Fujimaru would act more selfishly; she wouldn’t care at this point if he started to yell at her. She wanted him to be angrier about the situation.  
  
“Is this why you moved to Chiba? You told me you used to work at Ueno University…did you leave because of him?” Fujimaru asked, his voice betraying him as it shook. Lucy hated this; she hated seeing him like this. She hated everything about the situation. She hated that the only person she could think about in this moment was Ohno.  
  
“Yes.” Lucy whispered quietly, almost ashamed of the situation that she had put herself in. She should have known better than to start a relationship with someone else while she was still completely in love with Ohno. Her mind ran over everything that had happened in the past week and it made her feel foolish. From the moment she met Ohno on the train she should have let it go immediately. Getting involved with someone who was as well known as he is was just asking for trouble; and she had known it from the beginning.  
  
“I don’t understand…why didn’t you tell me before?” Fujimaru asked, suddenly looking up at Lucy. She couldn’t tell if he was equal parts angry and depressed or if it was more one or the other.  
  
“What was I supposed to say? Hi, my name is Lucy and I used to date a famous idol. We…we weren’t even dating…I don’t know what we were…” Lucy’s sentence dragged on until she could no longer be heard. She knew saying this wouldn’t really change anything about whatever was going on inside of Fujimaru’s mind. She watched as Fujimaru picked up the magazine; analyzing the photograph of herself and Ohno. Looking at the tender way that his arms were wrapped around her; the way her chin was tucked in the crook of his neck. Lucy wished that she had words to explain her situation, the way things had been between herself and Ohno; but words escaped her. She could only watch Fujimaru, apprehension written all over her face.  
  
“Do you still talk to him?” Fujimaru asked and it nearly made Lucy gasp out loud from the sudden ache in her heart; pushing its way further throughout her chest. She momentarily wondered if heartbreak could do physical damage to her sternum. She wanted nothing more than to say no; to lie to him and be done with it. However, she knew better; she knew that only hours ago she was smiling and making jokes with Ohno over the phone; until his voice lulled her into a comfortable sleep.  
  
“Yes.” It was the best she could come up with; she didn’t have an explanation for Fujimaru. She could only tell him the truth at this point; work her way closer and closer to the end of this conversation. She waited patiently for the question that she knew was coming next; her hands shaking despite being curled up into tight fists.  
  
“Do you still see him?” Fujimaru asked, looking up into Lucy’s green eyes. She wondered how many different emotions he was juggling in his mind. She could clearly see anger, agony and something she didn’t quite understand. It almost looked as if he was finding some kind of humor in the situation. With her brows furrowed, Lucy spoke.  
  
“I have.” She said. This seemed to break something inside of Fujimaru. It felt as if she didn’t recognize the man that was suddenly standing in front of her. They had only been dating for a bit more than a month but she thought she fully understood his personality. You only truly understand how a person is after you see them in a stressful situation; and so far, Lucy didn’t like what she was seeing. Fujimaru was holding something back and it made Lucy incredibly nervous. A part of her wanted to walk out of the apartment, escape; but this was her home. She couldn’t just walk out and leave Fujimaru there; there was always the possibility that he would still be there when she got back. Besides, she didn’t have anywhere to go. It was in that moment, as Lucy’s mind was racing that something she wasn’t expecting happened.  
  
Fujimaru smiled; she swore she ever heard a small laugh come from her boyfriend. She was completely caught off guard, letting her hands fall back to her sides; her posture becoming a little less defensive.  
  
"Well, that settles that then.” Fujimaru said as he walked into the kitchen and stood in front of the refrigerator; staring at the newspaper clipping of Ohno promoting his art exhibit. Lucy watched him carefully as he acted like he was in a staring contest with a photograph of Ohno. He lost of course, blinked once and the reached out to the clipping. He pulled it from the refrigerator door and crumpled it up in his hand. Lucy ran to stop him but by the time she grabbed it away from him; the damage had been done. Ohno’s smiling face had been torn into small pieces; only bits of his face were recognizable.  
  
“I’m a reasonable person…” Fujimaru said as he looked down at Lucy's tear stained face. She was afraid, she had to admit. She didn’t fully know what Fujimaru was capable of. “…but I won’t share you with another man.” Fujimaru said with a bit of forcefulness before he left the apartment. With a slam of her door, Lucy slipped down onto the kitchen floor; a place that she was becoming used to. She understood what was going on, Fujimaru was jealous. Jealous that Ohno was an extremely successful person who was in the lime light and that she had been with him. Her mind felt totally blank, the only thing she knew for certain was that the ache in chest wasn’t subsiding.  
  


**********

  
  
“Thanks for your hard work!” Ohno called to several staff members that were in the hall. They had just finished their first day time show in Seoul and even though he was exhausted; he was excited for the encore show later that evening. He was also looking forward to the flight back to the main land that very same evening. They, as Arashi, would fly back for about a week before heading out to Taipei for the next leg of their tour.  
  
Ohno lay down lazily on the big couch that was up against the far wall in their dressing room. He let out a huge sigh and closed his eyes; wanting to collect all his energy so that he can make his next performance even more energetic.  
  
“You look like you are about to fall asleep.” He heard Jun speak as he sauntered into the dressing room. He sat down at the vanity table as he tries to wipe away the last remnants of the concert off himself with a towel.  
  
“No…just resting my eyes.” Ohno said in a low, relaxed voice. He heard Jun scoff at him and go about his business. Before long all five of them were in the dressing room together; Aiba making Ohno bend his legs so that he could fit on the couch; only to stretch them back over Aiba’s lap once he sat down.  
  
“I know you’re tired Riida, but look at it this way…in about fifteen hours you’ll be back at home; to sleep in your own bed.” Aiba said with a small laugh; and it caused Ohno to smile. During concerts, he knew he could let go of whatever problems he had going on in his mind; pretty much all of which had to do with Lucy.  
  
True to Aiba’s word, after the concert they were immediately escorted to the airport and left for Japan. A few tiring hours later, Ohno found himself stepping out of a van in front of his apartment. He waved a lazy goodbye to Nino and Sho; who were the last ones in the van. He went into his apartment and got as far as the couch before he collapsed in exhaustion. His legs hurt, his back ached and all he wanted to do was sleep.  
  
But there was a voice in his head that told him to call Lucy first. They hadn’t spoken since she had fallen asleep on the phone with him the night before and he was wondering how she was. He pulled out his cell phone and punched in her speed dial. He let the phone ring until it reached her voice mail before he hung up. Maybe it was too late to be calling her; either way it had made him a bit disappointed that she didn’t answer. He would just have to try again tomorrow, he thought to himself before drifting off into sleep.  
  
 _to be continued..._


	18. Chapter 18

**Yayoi-cho, Inage-ku, Chiba-shi, Chiba. Sunday, October 3rd, 2008. 1:45 P.M.**

  
  
As the crowd of students slowly filed out of the lecture hall; Lucy finally had time to formulate her own thoughts. It had been nearly two weeks since she had last spoken to Ohno and it was starting to take a toll on her mental health. She knew that he had been in Tokyo for close to a week; and for the past few days he had been in Taipei for a few concerts. She wanted nothing more than to hear his soothing voice whenever she felt like letting loose. However, the entire week she had been bombarded with questions and suspicions from Fujimaru. He called her constantly, wondering where she was and what she was doing. If she ever gave him even the slightest of vague answers; before she knew it he would show up where she was, it didn’t matter if it was at work or home.  
  
He was persistently around her and it was starting to drive her to her limit. She wanted nothing more than to leave him and move back to Tokyo; but something inside her felt stuck. She didn’t think at this point that Fujimaru would just let her leave if she tried to. He would assume that she was running back into Ohno’s arms; and that could possibly cause more problems for the both of them.  
  
Most nights when she would lie awake in bed she would imagine what her life would be like if she was still with Ohno. Most of them were laughable fantasies about herself working at a bread shop with Ohno; stupid grins painted to their faces as they greeted every costumer by name. It was childish but it was small fantasies like these that kept her sane while she was dealing with Fujimaru constantly around her.  
With her elbows balancing her bowed head at her lecture podium, she heard the ‘employee’s only’ swing open. She didn’t even need to turn her head to now who it was. She could feel his beady eyes watching her with every step closer. It was easy for her to find flaws in him now; almost too easy for her to compare him to Ohno. She found herself often weighing the pro’s and con’s and Ohno always came out to be the better choice; naturally.  
  
As Fujimaru stepped closer, Lucy stood straight and looked at him; fake smile plastered to her face. He smiled back at her, although Lucy could tell that it was genuine. She wondered how he could still smile while she made him feel like a prisoner.  
  
“Do you have plans tonight?” Fujimaru asked and Lucy almost laughed out loud. Of course she didn’t; she didn’t have many friends in Chiba; and Fujimaru had forbidden her to talk to her closest friend. Her night was free and clear. She was thankful that at least while she was at home she could catch up on what Ohno was doing throughout the week. That is how she knew that he was in Taipei until tonight; finishing up another part of the tour. While all of this was going on in her head, she outwardly just smiled and shook her head.  
  
“Good. I want to take you out tonight; there is a great new restaurant in Shibuya.” Fujimaru said and he continued to talk about the menu while Lucy packed up all of her lecture notes and by the time they exited the English department building; he was still talking. While they are walking through the vast employee parking lot; Lucy’s cell phone begins to go off. She pulled it out of her messenger bag and looked at the caller I.D. OHNO-CHAN.  
  
“Aren’t you going to answer it?” Fujimaru asked, looking at her as they continued to walk through the rows of cars. Lucy stuffed her phone back into her bag and faked a smile at Fujimaru.  
  
“It can wait.” She spoke softly just as they arrived at her car. Both of them said their goodbyes and Fujimaru watched her as she drove out of the parking lot; until she turned the corner and could no longer be seen. Fujimaru stands there for a few more minutes; even after Lucy’s car could no longer be seen. There was something in his eyes that was nearly unreadable. Tons of different thoughts ran through his mind; all of them leading to keeping Lucy at his side at all cost.  
  
It was a few hours later when Fujimaru showed up at Lucy’s door. She was wearing a nice, form fitting black dress and her hair was curled delicately around her face. Although she used to enjoy the feeling of Fujimaru’s eyes on her, now there was something about it that made her uncomfortable. She was however, becoming pretty pro at faking a smile to please Fujimaru; he didn’t to see to be catching the pain that she kept hidden behind her eyes.  
  
The restaurant was mildly crowded, the dim lighting putting a soft glow around the secluded table. Lucy felt awkward in her dress; she wasn’t used to having to dress to impress someone. The last time she had dressed up so nicely was when she had to interview for the position at Chiba University. When she led her lectures she still only dressed semi-professionally.  
  
They had been at the restaurant for nearly thirty minutes and they had barely uttered three sentences to each other. There was a self-conscious silence lingering over the table. Lucy wondered if Fujimaru noticed that it had been this way with them for days; at this pace he had to understand that their relationship was about to crash and burn.  
  
Fujimaru ordered for the both of them. It’s not that Lucy minded eating steak but she would have much preferred to be eating a big bowl of ramen. Although she liked champagne she felt a hard craving for a big glass of cold Mugicha. Halfway through the meal Lucy excused herself to use the restroom; leaving Fujimaru at the table by himself. As he sat there, mindlessly sipping on his champagne; he heard a melodic series of beeps coming from Lucy’s side of the table. Unable to suppress his maniacal curiosity; Fujimaru fished through Lucy’s handbag until he found the cause of the beep; Lucy’s cell phone. On the front of the screen, in bold letters it said.  
  
“ONE NEW MAIL.” Fujimaru clicked O.K. and read the message that appeared on the screen in front of him. His eyes carefully flicking from one word to the next.  
  
 _“FROM: OH-CHAN:  
  
I haven’t heard from you in a while; is everything alright? I get back from Taipei tonight; I want to see you.”_  
  
It was in that moment when Fujimaru read the text; that something inside him finally broke. He curled his fist around the cell phone and stood with it still in his hands. Ever so calmly he walked towards the corner of the restaurant where the bathrooms were located. He stepped into the ladies room; earning a confused look from the woman who was just stepping out of it. He walked towards the sink counter where Lucy was standing and waited for her to notice him.  
  
Lucy was shocked when she looked up into the mirror and saw Fujimaru standing behind her. She spun around to meet his eyes with a questioning glare; the air around them was uncomfortable; there was no one else in the bathroom.  
  
“Fujimaru-kun…what…this is the woman’s bathroom…” Lucy said, stating the obvious. Fujimaru advanced towards her; acting like her had not even heard her. Without any kind of verbal warning at all Fujimaru lifted his hand back and hit her across the cheek. Stiff knuckles coming in harsh contact with her soft skin. The force of the hit caused Lucy to stagger backwards until she was resting her weight against the cool tile of the bathroom counter. One hand clutching the sink behind her and the other hand covered her mouth at the spot where she had just been hit.  
  
She had never been hit by a man before; by anyone for that matter; in her entire life. She had never felt more violated than she did in that moment; her eyes wide and staring at Fujimaru. She saw no remorse in his eyes; no pain over the fact that he had just hit his girlfriend in the face; and for what?  
  
“Is this…what you call being faithful?” He asked as he held out her open phone in front of her face. Lucy was surprised to see her cell phone in his hands but she just stared at the screen instead of saying something. She saw that it was opened to her most recent text message. When she saw _‘FROM: OH-CHAN’_ at the top of the message, her heart sank in her chest. She quickly read over the message before Fujimaru moved it away.  
  
When he pulled the phone away from her; she felt like she was suddenly staring into nothingness. Eerie goosebumps rose up on her arms and the sharp ache of her jaw were the only thing keeping her mind on the situation at hand. Her stomach did a nervous flip-flop as she saw Fujimaru’s arm raise again out of the corner of her eye.  
  
The loud crash beside her head told Lucy that Fujimaru had thrown her cell phone against the mirror; the pieces scattering all around her feet. She looked up at Fujimaru in this moment and saw the pure anger written on her features. The things about him that she used to find comforting when she first moved to Chiba; now seemed evil. She wanted nothing more than run out of this bathroom and into safe arms.  
  
“You want to leave. You want to be with him…than just go.” Fujimaru said, his tone was even but Lucy could tell that he was holding something back; and she wasn’t about to stay and find out what that something was. She ran as fast as she could.  
  
And she didn’t look back.  
  
 ****

**Ueno, Taito Ward, Tokyo. Sunday, October 3rd 2008. 11:21 P.M.**

  
  
“Oh-chan…wake up.” Ohno heard a voice calling him through his restless sleep. He opened eyes and found that both Sho and Nino had their faces mere inches away from his. They greeted him with smiles as he finally sat up a little bit better in his chair; yawning big as he looked around him in a daze.  
  
“Are we here already?” Ohno asked as he looked out the window of the van and saw the outside of his apartment complex. There was a feeling in his stomach; an anxious feeling for some reason.  
  
“Yeah, it’s your stop.” Nino said with a smile as he watched the tired leader rub his eyes tiredly. Despite the anxious feeling in the pit of his stomach, Ohno couldn’t help but feel grateful that he was finally home. The tour had really taken something out of him; he was really looking forward to a long night’s sleep. He said his goodbye’s to the two remaining band mates before climbing out of the van; his backpack slack on his shoulders.  
  
He pulled his keys out of his pocket as he got closer to his front door when someone caught his eye. Sitting beside the front door of his apartment was Lucy. She looked like she had been waiting there for sometime; permanent goosebumps on her skin that was revealed by the small, black dress that she wore. Lucy looked up when she had realized that Ohno was standing there and it brought more tears to her eyes.  
  
Lucy stood and walked ever-so-slowly towards Ohno, who was nearly awe struck that she was there in front of him. Just as he was about to smile however, a scowl graced his ageless face instead. When Lucy lifted her head to look Ohno in the eye, Ohno noticed the dried up tear trails that lined her pale cheeks. Then his amber eyes felt of the purple bruise that was slowly forming beside her bottom lip.  
  
He felt anger and hatred raising up in his blood as he took steps towards Lucy until they were face to face. His long fingers were delicately tracing the skin of his jaw as he tried to analyze the bruise. Their eyes met; both beginning to fill with tears. It was an odd combination of loathing and elation that was filling his heart in this moment.  
  
They said nothing; Ohno mearly lead her towards to the front door to his apartment, letting her step in first. The door closed behind them with a near silent click.  
  
 _to be continued..._


	19. Chapter 19

There was a comforting warmth that surrounded Lucy from the moment she stepped into Ohno’s apartment. She closed her eyes and let the heat wrap around her body. She could feel her cold blood rushing through her veins; turning her entire body into an icicle. The surface of her exposed arms but it was quickly replaced by the scorching heat of Ohno’s finger tips. She turned to look at him although she could hardly make out the features of his face in the dark. The silence surrounding them felt electric.  
  
Lucy felt his finger tips wrap themselves around her own before he slowly led her into the darkness of the main part of his apartment. There was something about this place that eased Lucy’s mind. Everything that had happened that night seemed to melt away she looked around the moderately decorated living room. It was so quiet around them that Lucy could easily find comfort in the sound of Ohno’s steady breathing. He led her through the living room and into the dining room and motioned for her to sit down at the dining room table. She felt guilty about him having to fuss over her like this but she decided against saying anything.  
  
Ohno brought over a blanket and wrapped around her hunched shoulders. She watched as he retreated into the kitchen and poured her a cold glass of water and brought it over to her. Lucy took an obligatory sip while Ohno watched her; standing above her like he was protecting her from some unknown presence in the apartment. When Lucy set down the cup of water on the table beside her, Ohno kneeled down in front of her. Something about the way Ohno gazed up at her made Lucy’s eyes tear up automatically. She tried her best to hide her bruised face from his view but he wouldn’t have it. He gently brushed his fingers against the bruise again and watched as Lucy’s eyebrows furrowed from the dull pain. When Lucy looked up into his eyes she saw something she had never seen in them before; he was angry. It was probably safe to say that he was pissed; it was the kind of anger that scared her. The same kind of anger that she saw in Fujimaru when he saw the newspaper clipping of Ohno; and when he walked into the bathroom earlier that night. It was a silent anger where you had no idea what was going on inside the other’s persons mind.  
  
“Please just…say something. You’re making me nervous.” Lucy spoke quietly, her voice breaking making her sound years younger than she was. Ohno looked up at her and he seemed to relax his face a little bit; looking at her with softer eyes. His tough finger tips graced the softness of her lips as their eyes stared holes into one another.  
  
“I can’t believe he did this to you…” Ohno muttered as his breathing gradually began to quicken while he gazed back and forth between the bruise beside her mouth and her tear filled eyes. The contact between them was slowly driving Lucy crazy; she was quickly becoming aware of the fact that she was in Ohno’s apartment. The one place she had wanted to be more than anything for the entire week. She reached out her cold hand and touched him gently on the cheek; his skin was boiling hot. Just the tiny feeling of his skin made a single tear fall from her eye lids.  
  
As if it was some kind of unconscious movement, a decision that their brains made for them; Ohno slowly leaned towards Lucy and Lucy closed her eyes to meet him. It seemed like it had been ages since their lips had touched; Lucy could practically feel the sparks bouncing between Ohno and herself.  
  
The kiss was slow; both of them taking their time to get reacquainted with each others taste and the way the other like to kiss. Ohno could feel the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end in anticipation for what he knew would come. He scooted closer to Lucy; as close as he could possibly get without the chair getting in his way. Lucy could feel him yearning to get closer to her so she did her best to grant him access; her head bent towards him as he hovered just below her; knees still pressing against the hard tile floor. Lucy curled her slender fingers around thin locks of Ohno’s jet black hair. Everything about him seemed familiar and new all at once. She could feel Ohno’s slick tongue pressing against her thin lips for a moment; she took the feeling and placed it in her memory before opening her mouth and letting him slide further in. His long fingers were wrapping themselves completely in her long brown hair; sliding out momentarily to touch her cheek and then back in again.  
  
They stayed this way for a few minutes; taking the time to get used to the feeling of being like this again. It had been months since they had kissed; even touched in this way. Without even taking a moment to think about the best way to proceed, Ohno stood; taking Lucy with him. Now that the both of them were standing it became easier for the both of them to touch places that they couldn’t before. Ohno placed his right hand in the curve of Lucy’s lower back, pulling her towards him until she was flush up against the front of his body. This caused an excitement within Lucy that she hadn’t felt in a while; it had never been this way with Fujimaru. She had never felt this excited to be close to him; to kiss him. To feel his need for her taking over completely; it had never been that way before. The only times she had ever felt her body being completely taken over by lust was when she was around Ohno.  
  
Their kisses became more impatient as both of them as their hunger for each other competed for dominance. The blanket around Lucy’s shoulders fell to the ground but she barely registered the cold that now surrounded her; it was hard to notice when Ohno had his warm arms wrapped around her. In one swift movement, Ohno lifted her up until she was sitting on the edge of his dining room table. He pushed the chair out of the way with his foot so that he was parallel with Lucy’s body again. With her hands in his hair and her legs wrapped around his waist, all the horrible thoughts of the night had been washed out of her mind. Lucy felt like she could hardly concentrate on anything other than the man that was kissing her senseless. The sensations of lips suckling against her own sent violent tremors through her body; lingering in her toe tops and finger tips. When she tore her lips away from his to catch a breath; only a loud moan erupted from her throat.  
  
Her hips involuntarily pressed into his and she could feel his hardness. His hands were working magic all over the exposed areas of her body. Lucy could feel herself becoming lightheaded as their kisses became more furious.  
  
Their lips away from each others for a moment and their eyes met. Amber and green; Ohno swore he couldn’t think of a combination more complimentary. He traced his hand ever so slowly up the side of Lucy’s thin body as they continued to look into each others eyes. As if they were both searching for the answer to a question that hadn’t been answered yet. After a few still seconds their breathing began to regulate to a normal pace. Something flickered through Ohno’s eyes quickly before he looked back up into Lucy’s lust filled orbs.  
  
“I love you.” Ohno whispered, his voice low and husky. Lucy was nearly rendered unconscious by his confession. She never could have imagined in her whole life that she could be loved by someone like him; not after everything she had put him through. The months of silence only to get with another man. She had been so disappointed in herself and yet Ohno still loved her. She knew it was real; it wasn’t lip service. The truth was written in his eyes, lips and his finger tips.  
  
“I love you too.” Lucy said in a small voice, fighting the tears that were threatening to spill over. She knew it was the first time in a long time that she had been honest with herself. Ohno let out a small sigh of relief when he heard the words leave Lucy’s mouth; unable to resist the smile that played across his face.  
  
Ohno leaned in for another kiss. It was slower now; he concentrated more on pleasing Lucy than he did about pleasing himself. He wrapped a strong arm around her and picked her up in one fluid motion; as if it were a dance move he had memorized years before. Lucy wrapped her thin, naked legs around his waist while Ohno led the way down the dark hallway. Lucy knew what was at the end of this hallway; and she could hardly contain her excitement. Not even halfway down the hallway their kisses reached a breaking point. Lucy felt her back pressing against the wall, giving her enough leverage to life her dress up to her waist.  
  
Ohno held her tight along her waist as Lucy reached to her side and unzipped her black dress. Ohno used his free hand to push the layer of black cloth away from her tantalizingly pale shoulder. He continued to pull the dress down her shoulders as he laid feverish butterfly kisses across her skin. It took a few tries but after a while the small black dress was lifted over her head; leaving her in nothing but a matching pair of black lingerie.  
  
“You wore this for him?” Ohno asked, his voice practically oozing with lust as he kissed down her clavicle to the smooth valley between her breasts.  
  
“I wore it for me.” Lucy whispered harshly against his ear while she wrapped her fingers around his short locks of black hair and tugged gently. Time passed so quickly that Lucy’s back bounced against his mattress without her even realizing that they had moved from the hallway. She was now comfortably underneath Ohno, the weight of his lower body pressing into hers. It was hot; almost so hot that it seeped all the oxygen out of the air; Ohno could hardly breathe as he continued to kiss Lucy relentlessly. He moved away from her, sitting up on her knees and he swiftly pulled his shirt over his head without much effort. He left Lucy lying nearly naked on his bed for a moment so that he could strip off his pants and boxers. The second they hit the ground he was on top of her again. Lucy had seen him naked before but the sight of him still made her breath hitch in her throat. They bombarded each other with heavy kisses again as Ohno’s hand worked towards her bra.  
  
Tiny goosebumps rose up on Lucy’s arms as she let Ohno gently strip her of her bra and panties. Just the feeling of their naked flesh against each others was enough to send Ohno’s mind into a completely different galaxy; he couldn’t peel his eyes from her. Already there was the subtle sheen of sweat covering their bodies. Both of them had been fantasizing about this moment for months and now it was finally happening; the circumstances weren’t very grand; but it would have to do.  
  
Lucy felt Ohno’s fingers entwining with her own and just the mere touch sent sparks through their arms. She looked up into his warm tawny eyes and smiled gently at him. As she felt him gently slip into her she could hardly hold back the pleasurable thrill that passed through every nerve of her body; he felt like heaven.  
As much as she wanted to break eye contact; to throw her head back and enjoy the feeling of the two of them joined together, something about the look in Ohno’s eyes kept her glued. Ohno squeezed her hand tightly as his rhythms quickly began to speed up.  
  
All the events that had led up to this moment slipped away the moment Ohno had led Lucy into his apartment. They both knew somehow, unconsciously that everything was going to be all right now. Nothing mattered when they looked into each other’s eyes; explore each other’s bodies once again. Tabloids didn’t matter; Arashi didn’t matter; Fujimaru didn’t matter. It was just Lucy and Ohno and their bodies doing what came naturally.  
  
The morning seemed to come too early for Ohno; the sun coming through his bedroom window seemed a little bit too bright. He peeked his eyes open, trying to adjust to being awake when something unusual caught his eyes. Lucy wasn’t asleep next to him. His mind flashed back to the last time that he and Lucy had slept together; he had woken up alone the next morning then as well. He sat up and listened to any significant sounds in his apartment; there were none.  
  
Ohno stood and walked through his hallway and into the dining room. Everything on the dining room table was back in order; the chair that had been kicked aside last night was now back in its upright place. Sitting on the table, beside of a plate of sugar covered twists was a note from Lucy.  
  
 _Ohno-chan,  
  
Seems a little redundant, ne? Having to leave before you woke up? In case you have forgotten, it’s Monday and I have lectures to teach. I will be done with the day by two o’clock. I’ll meet you back at the apartment. Don’t try to call my cell phone, it’s gone.  
  
I love you.  
  
Lucy_  
  
Ohno smiled in response to her note and returned to his bedroom to get into some regular clothes. He chose to wear simple jeans and a Yokohama FM t-shirt that he loved so much. He glanced at the clock as he slipped into a pair of shoes, it was nearly one o’clock. If he left now he would make it to Chiba University by the time that Lucy got out of her lecture; the thought brought another smile to his face.  
  


**Yayoi-cho, Inage-ku, Chiba-shi, Chiba. Monday, October 4th, 2008. 1:54 P.M.**

  
  
By the time he arrived at Chiba University, he only had a couple minutes until Lucy would dismiss her class. He leisurely walked to the lecture hall where she usually taught and waited for the students to exit the hall.  
  
Once they started exiting, only tried his best to hide his face in a professional idol kind of way; thankfully today he wasn’t even glanced at by the busy students rushing to get to their next class. He walked to the now empty lecture hall and walked in. Below him at her desk was Lucy, looking just as beautiful as she did last night; just with a shower and a new change of clothes. He began to walk down the stairs towards her, hoping that she would be as happy to see him as he was to see her.  
  
Just as he was halfway down the stairs, the employee entrance opened up beside Lucy and Fujimaru calmly walked through. Lucy looked up at him and for a moment her body was frozen in blind fear. Her voice caught in her throat as she involuntarily backed away from him.  
  
“Lucy, listen to me. About last night…I don’t know what came over me…” Fujimaru began but was promptly cut off by a voice echoing through the lecture hall. Both Fujimaru and Lucy turned their heads to see where the voice had come from and Lucy couldn’t contain the way her face lit up the moment she saw Ohno walking towards the both of them. Ohno however, was only looking at Fujimaru; who looked on in confusion. Once Ohno arrived at where they were standing, he immediately confronted Fujimaru without fear; although Fujimaru was a least a foot taller than him.  
  
“Do you who I am?” Ohno said, his voice even and not in the least bit threatening at this point. Lucy could do nothing at this moment except watch the two men in front of her. Her eyes kept bouncing between Ohno and Fujimaru, anxious thoughts running through her brain.  
  
“Of course.” Fujimaru answered; seemingly docile at the moment. Ohno cracked a small smile.  
  
“You have no idea the vile things that ran through my mind last night when I saw what you had done to Lucy. However, being a bigger and better man than you…I’m not going to follow through with any of them…” Ohno said to Fujimaru, looking him clear in the eyes. Ohno was a pacifist at heart, he wouldn’t even hurt a worm; but last night things ran through his mind that he wished never would have. He knew it was because he loved Lucy and he would do anything to keep her away from men like Fujimaru and women like Haruko.  
  
“…I don’t want to ever see you near Lucy again, do we understand each other?” Ohno said clearly and slowly, making sure that Fujimaru heard every word her said. Fujimaru was quiet for a moment before he glanced over to Lucy. She saw something in his eyes, it slightly resembled the Fujimaru she had first met and fallen for.  
  
A soft childlike feature in his eyes that used to make her smile. He nodded once and the softness disappeared; back into the shell of a man that was lost in his own mind. Fujimaru turned and began to walk back towards the doorway without as much as a glance back to Ohno or Lucy.  
  
There was stillness for a minute after Fujimaru had left; Ohno stood watching the door and Lucy kept her eyes on his gaze. When Ohno finally turned back to look at Lucy, his smile reached all the way to his eyes; the seemed to sparkle.  
  
No words were exchanged; they just stepped up to each other slowly and kissed under the glow of the overhanging fluorescent lights.  
  
 _to be continued..._


	20. Chapter 20

It was one of those nights, where the air outside is just cool enough for a sweater but warm enough that you could walk out in just a t-shirt. He sat in his usual seat as he watched the scenery flash by quickly beneath the streetlights. Watching the world passing him by in a blur reminded him of the past few months. He had, in the span of six months, met the woman of his dreams; and in a matter of moments it seemed, she was out of his life and into the arms of another man. They had quickly come to the conclusion that their attitudes towards each other’s personal lives and careers had been so naïve at the time.  
  
That’s why something as petty as Haruko’s jealousy had driven them apart; they had been too scared to really admit to the fact that he was a celebrity and she was not. However, they had been thrown together in what can only be described as a magnetic pull; and this time they weren’t going to be ripped apart.  
  
It had been about three weeks since Ohno and Lucy had gotten a chance to see each other. He had just finished the final leg of the Arashi Around Asia tour; traveling to various major cities around Japan and when he had gotten back it was nearly non-stop promotions for the drama that he had just been cast as the leading role; and going around to different major music programs to promote their new single. He had been a very busy man and Lucy had been on the forefront of his mind the entire time.  
  
While Ohno was occupied, Lucy had been busy resigning from her position at Chiba University after somehow worming her way into getting her old job back at Ueno University. She had also been moving her things back into her old apartment, since it was still vacant; which Lucy chalked up to the fact that it wasn’t in the best area of Tokyo. The majority of the things that she had left were still there, in all the right places so moving in gave off an air of moving back into the first house you grew up in.  
  
She spent her evenings sitting around her apartment, eating convenience store bento’s and watching videos of Ohno and the Arashi boys from years before she had ever met any of them. It was something she had never even thought about doing before; but now it seemed like she had all the time in the world to get to know an Ohno that was long in the past. His unnaturally blonde hair, his crooked teeth; a lot of things were different but the same at the same time. She found herself falling for him more and more as she watching him as a young man, going into gay clubs with transvestites and pulling stockings over his head. She questioned whether she could be more in love with anyone in her entire life. She thought about him every spare moment she could get.  
  
Unfortunately lately, they haven’t been able to see each other because of Ohno’s busy schedule. Ohno knew that he was a celebrity and he was expected to be seen on television and on the covers of magazines but he loved the moments when he could unwind and let go of it all. Sit down in his hotel room and call Lucy; her soothingly deep voice always made it seem like his hectic life could just slip away and he was just Ohno-chan. He could close his eyes and forget about the interviews and remembering his dance steps because in Lucy’s eyes, he was just like anyone else.  
  
The night before he had done an interview for the next month’s issue of Wink Up and he had been asked a question that he was all too used to by now; he had been asked it a million times before.  
  
“What is your ideal type of woman?” Ohno tried his best to hide his rolling eyes; as did the rest of the members. However, this time Ohno decided to answer it truthfully for the first time in ten years.  
  
“Someone with determination and someone…who can stand their ground. She has to be funny and confident…and willing to stand by me through anything.” Ohno trailed off as the other members just looked at him quietly; Nino’s eyes seemed to be drilling holes into Ohno’s face.  
  
“Sounds like you’ve already met this person…” The interviewer said with a small laugh. Ohno just squeezed out a non-committal mumble. He stumbled and blushed and thankfully Jun took the rains on the conversation and swiftly changed the subject.  
  
Lucy didn’t want to admit it, but she was almost desperate to see him again. She had been in good shape for the first few days but after watching interview after interview with him on television, she knew she needed to see him more than anything. Her work didn’t matter to her, her hygiene almost flew out the window; all because she was pining for him in her mind.  
  
Ohno had been sitting on the train for nearly thirty minutes; he knew soon he would have to switch trains in order to get home within the next hour. He felt a vibration coming from his front pocket. He reached in and pulled out his cell phone, looking at the front screen.  
  
“ONE NEW TEXT MESSAGE.” It said clearly in bold characters. He furrowed his brows and flipped his phone open. It was from Lucy; just the sheer fact caused him to break out into a smile. He clicked on the new message and read it quickly.  
  
 _“Make sure you are on the next train.”_ Was all it said. He thought it was odd, first of all how would she know that he was on the train? He had been so busy lately going from television studio to concert hall to various other venues; it was very rare for him to be off of work this early to begin with.  
  
He tried not to think on it too much as he continued to look out the window of the train; letting himself zone out until he felt the train car coming to a stop. He gathered the backpack that was sitting next to him and slowly stood; holding onto the cool metal railing to keep from losing his balance. He stepped off the train car with his ipod headphones sticking in his ears; listening to the crooning music that set a moody scene over the nearly empty station.  
  
He waited nearly fifteen minutes for the next train to arrive; a train that brought back a lot of memories. The Ginza Line. Where he had first met Lucy just a few mere months before. Thinking back to their first meeting, Ohno found it amazing that they survived everything that they had been through. Not only did they survive but their feelings for each other only grew stronger. He could see bright headlights coming around the curve of the tunnel; it began to illuminate the space around him. He knew that it was his train; it was nearly the last one to be running that night.  
  
When the train came to stop in front of him, he quickly got into the second to last car. He looked around the car and saw that it was empty. Something in the pit of his stomach lurched and he knew it was because somewhere in his mind, he was expecting to see Lucy there. He was however, alone. He took his usual set, facing back towards the subway lobby. Three shrill rings called out, signaling that the train was about to start moving again. He closed his eyes and let his music take over his tired mind.  
  
After nearly fifteen minutes of being on the train; slipping in and out of consciousness; Ohno felt the train coming to a stop again. He opened his eyes lazily as the doors to his car slid open. He expected to see a homeless person stagger onto the train; or some late night students catching the last train home from night classes; but what he saw made him do a double take.  
  
The first thing his eyes zeroed in on was a tattered brown messenger bag slung haphazardly over her shoulder. Then he gazed at the long, wavy tendrils of her matching brown hair. As his eyes moved further up he met the most incredible green eyes he had ever looked into. Without thinking, he stood suddenly; pulling the ear phones out from his ears. His eyes were as big as UFO saucers and his mouth hung open like a school boy.  
  
They slowly walked towards each other; taking their time to take in the moment. Ohno both expected to see her there and thought it was nothing more than wishful thinking. However, here she was; with a smile on her face that was only meant for him. He couldn’t stop the feeling of his heart; it felt like it was about to soar up and out of his throat. It beat as fast as it did when they enjoyed their first night together.  
  
 _“This is my stop.” She said with a hint of sadness.  
  
“Oh. Well, it was nice speaking with you.” Ohno said; reflecting his disappointment into his voice. He watched her as she picked up her things and stood from her spot.  
  
“Maybe we’ll run into each other again sometime. Oyasumi.” She said with a smile before she hoped off the bus. Ohno watched her go by as the train pulled away, he watched her for as long as he could before he turned around the corner._  
  
He wrapped his long fingers in the thick tendrils of her hair; breathing in a deep breath of her. He knew even if they hadn’t gone through everything that they had been through together; that she was still the one for him. He always thought he would settle and fall for a sweet Japanese girl from a Japanese family; like his family had always wanted for him. He would have never thought that the women of his dreams had been born in a completely different country, hundreds and hundreds of miles from him. He never thought that he would have found her on this exact train months before.  
  
 _“You’re from the train, right?” There it was again. That sweet, low sound of her voice speaking to him in his native tongue.  
  
“Hai. We met last week.” Ohno said nervously as he walked around the magazine isle until he was standing in front of her. She was smiling at him; causing shivers to form on his arms.  
  
“I’m Satoshi Ohno.”  
  
“Lucy.” He smiled at the sound of her name._  
  
People always say that in times like this, a million thoughts are running through your head. There was only one thought running through Ohno’s mind in that moment; and it was pure happiness. They were done with barriers and done with jealousy; all they had now was each other and that feeling was better than he could have ever imagined. The warmth of her cheek was trailing across his skin, causing cherry red to grow on his own. Lucy smiled at him sweetly; thinking he looked best when he blushed.  
  
“You’re here…” Ohno whispered as he looked deeply into her bright green eyes. She smiled at him slightly, not just gazing into his eyes but taking in all the features of her childlike face.  
  
“Is there any place more fitting for us to meet each other again?” Was all that Lucy said before she felt Ohno gently pull her towards him. A smirk playing on his face before their lips met. It was kiss he had been thinking about for three weeks. Her chap stick left a slight mentholated tingle on his tongue and she tasted like strawberries. He knew his lips felt mildly chapped but she didn’t pull away; in fact she clutched at the side of his jacket and pulled him further in towards her.  
  
When they finally pull away with content smiles on their faces; Ohno could swear she was glowing. They looked at each other’s eyes and saw the future; a future that was full of tabloid spins on their relationship and confrontations with the other members over her inclusion into their tight clique but none of that fazed them in the least bit.  
  
Ohno rested his forehead against hers; their breath mingling between them in hot swirls of oxygen.  
  
“You know…they look brown but under the florescent lights…your eyes are amber.” Lucy said just above a whisper as she continued to look into Ohno’s eyes. He smiled widely at her; taking in a deep breath before speaking.  
  
“I think I’ve heard that somewhere before..." He mumbled before pulling Lucy in closer.  
  


** THE END. **

**Author's Note:**

> NOTES:  
> *Gomen nasai = I'm sorry  
> *Oyasumi = Goodnight  
> *Keep in mind that all the dialogue between the two characters is meant to be spoken in Japanese. Unless otherwise noted beforehand.


End file.
